I asked him why he thought inmates, families and staff considered Quincy's conditions among the most rehabilitative in Florida. I'm not a spring chicken any more and don't like to travel unless it's important, and this trip was. July 14th, this coming Saturday, is a special day for prison awareness. It's a day when citizens who have become uneasy about the costs of mass incarceration say so. It's the one day a year when people who otherwise never go near a prison will stand united across the nation in front of one to draw attention to the risks of mass incarceration, unprofessionalism, neglect and corruption and offer a better way.
Most prisons are explosive, diseased places, failing in any form of 'correction' and rehabilitation.
But, because I am visualizing the change, I wanted to highlight a prison that had been practicing a better way. I called the prison yesterday to offer Quincy the award. I first spoke with Officer M.J. Sherman, who was extremely pleased. He had worked under Mr. Keels for many years and greatly respected his methods. He said, however, that Warden Germany would have to approve.