The following letters to the editor appear in the edition of Nov. 4, 2004. Letters appearing in this space do not necessarily reflect the views of the Arlington Catholic Herald or the Catholic Diocese of Arlington. The editor reserves the right to edit letters as necessary. There is no guarantee of publication. Send letters to: letters@catholicherald.com.

Private Prisons Not All Bad

I am a volunteer at two prisons, one run by the State of Montana and the other on a contract for the state by Corrections Corp. of America. I write to express my contrary reflections on private prisons as expressed by Father John Rausch (ACH 9/30/04, page 5).

First let me assure you I understand my experience is limited to these facilities. Father Rausch and the Catholic bishops seem to indict the private prison system, and, in a way, many similar private providers of services, as the sole guilty party in the failed social service system.

I assure you in Montana I don't believe the fault lies with the private prison. I am not even sure if it lies with the Department of Corrections, which oversees the prisons. I think the blame and the solution goes to a deeper level — the general public and, to a degree, our Church and its willingness to not publicly address the issue from the news media to the public.

We have too many people incarcerated and too many more headed that way. We have too few financial resources dedicated to rehabilitation and prevention. We have too great a desire to "put the bad guys away and forget about them."

State budgets pay less to private prisons, not because they think they will be serving the needs of society to rehabilitate, but because they can save money. The state can require whatever it wants from a private prison contract as well as a state-run facility. It is unjust for Father Rausch or any of us to condemn private prisons for doing what we hire them to do. The issue is what do we want from private prisons, not the private nature of the prison as Father Rausch seems to have concluded.

Doug Lowney
Helena, Mont.

A Beautiful Soul

The Arlington Diocese lost a beautiful soul this morning with the death of Kathy Hannan. However, she is now able to experience the joys and happiness of heaven.

Kathy worked as the secretary for Youth Ministry and Religious Education for nearly 10 years at St. Mark Parish in Vienna. As a first-time youth minister there, Kathy taught me a lot about the value of a smile, a friendly greeting and laughter to uplift a soul. Each person that entered the building felt welcomed and important because Kathy put her all in making others feel special. It was her way to bring goodness out of each situation.

Please pray for her children and her husband that she leaves behind. God and her family have sustained Kathy through a long battle with cancer. Now, we trust that God has taken full care of her soul. Kathy's body is not with us anymore, but her example of kindness and care should be a model of all those who serve in parish ministry.

Rob Tessier
Director of Youth Ministry,
All Saints Parish, Manassas

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