Tuesday 26 June 2018

Naked As A Jailbird Review

By Jennifer Graham


The world views priests as the mouthpiece of God on earth. They are supposed to be close and take care of the poor and less privileged. Naked as a Jailbird is an attempt by Richard Shaw to demonstrate how the church, its leaders and the society should view persons in jail. In this narrative, he shares his expectations and experiences as a chaplain in jail.

The title captures the scenarios perfectly. Naked is the best description one can give of lives of people in prison. The first act involves stripping of their rights to ordinary clothing, freedom and privacy. The environment robs the prisoners of all the dignity that a human being craves. The lack and vulnerability that comes with nakedness is what dominates this narrative.

The author shines light on the lives of people, both prisoners and officers behind bars. Despite these prisoners being human, they have nothing to cover their nakedness. All their lives are bare and confined to routines. It is interesting to learn about this life as an adult despite him thinking that he has learnt everything that he is expected to learn. His encounters in prison are a new lesson in life.

Shaw is also interested in how the church and its leaders treat wealth. In his opinion, the church should not have more than 85cents in its accounts or that of the priests. The church acts as a channel through which resources get to the poor. Holding on to these resources means that they are not getting to those who need them.

Poverty should be a principle that religious leaders commit to. This has been a challenge for churches and their leaders. It becomes a distraction that will cause them to lose sight of their noble role of helping the poor. The vow of poverty by priests must be maintained for the sake of the down trodden.

It is rare to think of lives of prisoners unless you have been on or have a relative or friend incarcerated. The manner of narration, setting and presentation gives you an idea of what the people in prison experience. The narrative is vivid and explicit. It will make it easier to relate with their situation. It gives their lives and thoughts such that if you viewed them as criminals, your perception will change.

Jail is not made of just the prisoners. There are workers of different classes who are affected by the conditions behind bars. How does this environment affect their human side and interactions with other people? All this information is captured in this narrative by Shaw. You have a chance to read into their thoughts and experiences. You will develop a different idea of prison life.

Richard Shaw tells of the life in prison from the perspective of a religious leader. This is a fast paced and life changing book that will cause you to change your perspective of incarceration. It is also an opportunity to experience what passion can do as exemplified by Shaw in his vocation as a priest. It is an opportunity for all people to use their careers to change the lives of those they interact with.




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