LatinaLista — Sometimes a reconnection with Nature is what is needed to heal the Human Spirit. For those who “feel broken” due to incarceration and drug addiction, this reconnection can make all the difference in having a bright future. In a special conservation program started in 2010 in the Houston area, former inmates have an opportunity to renew themselves and chart a different life course while helping restore the area’s prairies, bayous, wetlands and Gulf Coast shore.
Called Restoration Not Incarceration, the program is described as “social entrepreneurial work, designed to holistically integrate proven effective treatment approaches for prisoners with the new field of work therapy in nature…”
In other words, the work it takes to cut down weeds, trim trees and care for the land has proven to be a healing force helping former inmates determine their priorities in life, work towards them and keep from returning to jail.
Recently, Al Jazeera highlighted the program and followed a team as they worked to beautify Nature while healing themselves emotionally.
