Poem: My Case Load
My Case Load
by a Community Supervision Officer
Offender wants off papers
Refuses to change ways
Running away to come back
4 Comments
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The poets featured here are currently incarcerated, and many of them are in federal prisons far from home. Your feedback is a valuable source of motivation and connection to the outside community. Post your comments, feedback, and encouragement in the space below the poem. Messages will be passed on directly to the author. Comments may not appear immediately on the site, as our team processes them to mail to the poets.
Your last line is powerful, “running away to come back.” It is so difficult when we want the best for someone, yet they don’t value their lives enough to want the same. I pray that you continue to reach those you work with so that they never come back.
KC
“Running away to come back” – A powerful line because it’s sad to see them want to get out knowing where they will most likely end up again.
They think they can keep the same mindset and be able to support themselves but it’s hard unless they change ways.
Thank you for writing from the other perspective, I hope it’s helping all around!
~JP
This poem is minimalistic yet profound on a number of levels. I can read the kind of sad frustration you feel from having to process the cases of men and women who repeatedly want to leave without allowing themselves to experience the benefits that come from rehabilitation. The poem’s title is also very telling…”My Case Load” implies that the narrator/author’s entire case load is populated by people like this, which must be both disheartening and exasperating. It’s really interesting getting to glimpse the perspective of an officer rather than an offender, someone who is a part of the prison community but who sees it with entirely different eyes. I feel like this could easily be reworked into a haiku, yet I also love it as it is and don’t really want to see it changed. Thank you for writing this, and please write more in the future!
Poems are strong because they are able to say so much in such a small amount of words, and you did a great job with that here. It can be very challenging to want the best for someone, but they don’t want to change their habits to healthier ones. As a former child I know my parents couldn’t stand this behavior of me when it came to school, and i’m sure they would find this very relatable. Good luck with your work, and I hope you continue to do what you do!