I do the majority of my rabbinic work inside the jails of LA County and the state prison, Corcoran, as well. The basic difference between the two are that jail is generally shorter term incarceration: either the inmate is waiting for a trial which will decide where, when and how long he will be in jail or prison. Prison is almost always a longer sentence and for more serious offenses. There is a very high recidivism (repeat offender) rate, generally accepted to be around 78%. That is an incredibly large number of men who have been and continue to be in and out of the system. There are so many stories of success and recovery that seem to be invisible to most of us, since the headlines constantly bombard us with the evil, the failures and the dangers. But there is tenderness, kindness, hope and courage inside the jails, as well. This site will attempt to show you the very diverse colors of the incarcerated.
I hope to introduce you an ever-growing list of multiple offenders who have, one day at a time, stopped their cycle and re-entered society as positive and strong participants in a life many of us take for granted for its ordinariness. There is nothing ordinary about the challenges and the strength these men face and show. There is nothing ordinary about the amazing blessings they each have brought to my life as they honor me by allowing me to walk through doorways they thought held no hope for them. I will try to do justice to the many incredible men with whom I began relationships in a small office in a dark jail. Addiction plays an overwhelmingly high part in whatever crimes they committed and, no, I do not live in a fantasy land where all is good and wonderful. There are very difficult and dangerous citizens inside my work world. But it would be totally wrong to look at these men, in their prison uniforms, as a sea of ‘inmates’ who are hopeless and destined to fail.
They each have powerful stories to tell. I hope to give you all a different picture than the one, perhaps, you have right now. Many can succeed. ALL need help in finding that door and learning what to do when and if they walk through it into the sunshine.
There was a television series a few years ago called “The Naked City.” My life with these men is like the theme from that show: “There are 8 million stories in the Naked City. This is just one of them.”
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteSorry For the Mis-Spellings I was writing so fast because i was so excited to see this BLOG!
ReplyDeleteENJOY....
Well all I Can say is before I met Rabbi Carron at MCJ I didn't think there was much an addict like myself could really accomplish. My first time incarcerated and thought my life was over. I did indeed go to prison but before I was sent off I spent a lot of time with the Rabbi. We had our one on one's as group sessions not to mention the once a month Shabbat dinner that was provided to us by the beautiful people the Rabbi has brought to the Jail. At the Shabbat dinner we were amongst all inmates not just the ones in the baby blue. Rabbi made me feel like we were a part of something not just a number. He opened my eyes to things I was not able to see on my own. I was opened to being coached and he was an amazing coach. The Lakers don't win the championship because of Kobe Bryant but because of the coaching they received. I will say after my release from CDCR I have been doing better than ever. Next week will be 1 year of my release and since then I have gone on to secure a job as Executive at a major Nightlife Corporation, A new House, amazing friends, and found the Love of my life. Life could not be any better for me. I did all this with the willingness to change and take it one day at a time. If you are human and want to live to your full potential ask for help and make it happen. I am living proof! Love my life and the people in it.
Im so proud to meet a RABBI like YOSSI CARRON He is a person who never says "NO" especialy if you ask Him for help on anything....also he dont care about your past to him it only matters since the point that he meet you...MY 4 KIDS AND I LOVE HIM...
ReplyDeleteLove this blog. I remember a year or so ago when I went with my husband and son to a local minor league baseball game. A guy in the front who was already seated yelled out "Hey CO!" My husband went down to shake his hand. He was a former inmate who had worked in food service while doing his time and then got a job with the state when he was done. Now, he is supporting his family, has an intact marriage with kids and a job to support them.
ReplyDeleteThank you
ReplyDeleteThank you
Thank you, Rabbi Yossi Carron........
You are a light of:
hope, cheer, love, good song, laughter, stories, wisdom.....and faith~
I am honored and blessed to have you
touch my life...~
may we all travel our journeys,
reaching out to others
to spread and share
our 'experiences, strengths, & hopes"
I am a product of Rabbi Carron's work. I was in prison for almost 8 years for crimes stemming from my drug and alcohol addiction. It was during the last term I was in that I had given up hope. I thought that my life was over and that I would just continue to live in the jail cycle. Crime, arrest, time, release, crime, arrest, time.. and so on. I did not think that I had any good qualities or potential. I thought that life was over for me. Until I saw someone I knew from my past. He had changed, and I was amazed. If he could change, maybe, maybe, I could too. I asked him how he had changed and he explained that he had been working with Rabbi Carron. Though I was not Jewish, I asked if he would see me. Rabbi Carron called me to his office and we began our work together. For three years Rabbi Carron met with me every day! He used Torah to show me hope. Men that were God's favorites who had done things similar to me, but still managed to live holy lives. If these men could make mistakes and still be loved and favored by God, then maybe I could too. Rabbi Carron challenged me to begin living differently while on the inside. He did not want me to wait until I got out. He told me that my new life could begin today! It was that Day... November 2nd, 2007 that I began my journey as a new man. A man that I am proud to be today. Rabbi Carron saw a glimpse of something in me. He calls it a spark of The Divine. He began helping me to open new doors in my life. Doors that I never thought I could open. Doors that I was too afraid to walk through alone. Doors that I was sure would be slammed shut in my face. He made a promise to continue walking through doors with me as long as I was honest and truthful at all times with him. For the first time I had someone in my life who loved me for me. Unconditional love. Regardless of my past, in spite of my mistakes, without judgment, he loved me. He promised to always be there for me. Here we are 3 and a half years later and he is still there. He still goes to meetings with me each week, and was the first person to give me my 3 year sobriety cake. Today I am proud of the man I have become. Proud of the man that was always there but I was too afraid to be. I have re-connected with my family and I am there for them today. I show up when I say I will. I am helping others to turn their lives around, and I am an honest loving dependable man of God. Today I am Cameron ! ! ! Rabbi Carron never lets me give him credit for the work that has been done. He says it was all me. He is right... It was all me... I did it! But I never could have done it without his love, guidance, and constant support. It is because of his work that men are beginning to realize their full potential one day at a time. I thank God daily for putting Rabbi Carron in my life.
ReplyDeleteWorst rabbi. Fraud!
ReplyDelete