"Brain gone caged with no answers"

We ventured out to our first field trip. The Wildlife Recovery Centre. I've decided that Socials will continue with our children's Aboriginal and First Nations culture. The Wildlife Recovery Centre provided many of the spiritual animals needed for our children's next project and what's more exciting, we're off to Victoria to the Royal Museum next! During our adventure today I asked our children to get into a cage for pictures. Their answers were, "No" Well......as you can see above, my answer was "Yes" I climbed into the cage provided and felt for several minutes what it feels like being held in captivity. Of course I wasn't worried, I was getting released. However it did trigger my thoughts about life behind bars. I have absolutely no clue what it feels like. I can only imagine ones life changed from poor choices and serving time, possibly a life time behind bars. After proven guilty, captivity is definitely warranted and especially while keeping the rest of the public safe. What often worries me is after the time served, is getting released a good idea. I guess it depends on the crime, the remorse and if the counseling provided changed that person. I always question how does one know who will become a repeat offender. I believe most individuals wear masks, their personalities can be altered and some individuals without a outwardly noticed conscience can fool the best of professionals. I'm guessing with their time served, their good behavior, the noticed remorse, that individual deserves a second chance. As an adoptive mother I hear about second, third and fourth chances with birth parents. I also know many children remaining in foster care without a permanency plan is because their birth parents are seeking help, they're getting released again from rehab. I personally know of a situation where five siblings were adopted, but the last two of seven are in foster care waiting on their birth mother after fourteen plus years of addiction to become stable enough to parent. There could be some other underlying factors to this scenario but it's a prime example of how many chances does one receive before making a decision for what's best for the children and the clearly addicted mother that shouldn't have been released over and over again. There is a fine line deciding I suppose. We watched a bear looking back at us laying peacefully in his captivity.

I'm not exactly sure his story although regardless if he was born in captivity or put there because of his unfortunate circumstances, the question even for him is uncertain. Rehabilitation without parole more likely. Which sadly brings me back questioning onto whom should and shouldn't be released and why onto others become repeat offenders continually disrupting lives with no consequence at all. Baffling and confusing meanwhile the process is very complicated, and seems concrete either way. Interesting how a few minutes of fun incarceration leads to questioning different processes with no real answers. I will ponder over something I can answer next time and be thankful that my life's circumstances has kept me free.