prisoner

When we’re searching for simply-styled, low-cost furniture, fixtures and accessories, many of us head for Ikea. But there’s something most of us don’t know: This Swedish company originally used East German prisoners who were incarcerated for their political beliefs, to create these products.

In the November 16th edition of the Guardian, Kate Connolly reports that "a roomful of angry former GDR prisoners first watched–and then started to vent decades worth of anger–as a squirming (Ikea CEO) Peter Betzel formally apologized for using prison labor in the 1970s and 1980s."
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Around this time of year, our thoughts turn to the people who will NOT be going home for Christmas. How do people cope going from prison back into society? Not well, which is why so many of them end up back in prison, usually sooner rather than later.

Psychologist Lindsay Phillips says, "There is a defined process experienced by participants, which is initial optimism about release, followed by craving substances, facing practical barriers, or feeling overwhelmed. This eventually results in avoidance of managing problems and emotions and substance abuse relapse, which culminates in recidivism."
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