A soft drink in exchange for a brighter future

Kaohsiung District Prosecutors Probation Office has initiated a long-term "Shrink Your Drinks Scheme", which hopes to accumulate funds by saving loose change normally allocated to buying soft drinks. The funds will go to help newly released prisoners who are often ignored by the general public. As far as office colleagues are concerned, giving up these unnecessary soft drinks will also bring positive benefits to their own health. Through the scheme, newly released prisoners or workers finding themselves in difficult situations can get help in the form of food and clothing to meet basic human needs. Wei Hong-Yu, a probation worker at Kaohsiung District Prosecutors Office who has long-term experience with counseling inmates said: "To newly released prisoners who can not find a job, or have lost their original work, even three square meals a day can prove difficult ... what is considered a snack to us, is an extravagance to them".

A few days ago the case of a single father who was newly released from prison came to light. Living in hardship, he was trying to single-handedly raise his daughter. His employers maliciously failed to pay his wages and in addition verbally humiliated him. Feeling that he had no way out, this young single father walked to the rail tracks and tried to take his own life. This case of attempted suicide highlighted the seriousness of the problem to Kaohsiung District Prosecutors Probation Office and chief probation officer Cheng Wen-Shan immediately initiated the "Shrink Your Drinks Scheme". Everyone hopes the scheme can help meet the urgent needs of newly released prisoners, while at the same time help improve the health of office colleagues.

PeoPo 公民新聞

A soft drink in exchange for a brighter future ( by CJ grace )
URL: http://www.peopo.org/news/99961

(以下是中文對照)

用一杯飲料 兌換一個明天 ( 奕汝 )

高雄地檢署觀護人室正進行一個無限期的「節飲計畫」─累積平時買飲料的零錢，換成物資，幫助平時容易遭大眾忽視的受刑人。另外，對辦公室的同仁來說，少喝一杯飲料可以換取多一份健康。透過計畫，讓受刑人或社會勞動者在面臨急難時，可以得到一份適切的幫助、一份溫飽，滿足人類最基本的需求。擔任高雄地檢署觀護佐理員的魏鴻裕，長期輔導受刑人，他說：「受刑人因為找不到工作，或是失去原本的工作，常常連三餐都成問題...我們一包零食的消費，對他們來說是一個奢侈的行為。」日前，有一位單親爸爸是受刑人，他獨自扶養一個女兒，生活困苦，資方又惡意積欠工資，並用言語加以羞辱他的身分。走投無路的情況下，這位單親爸爸試圖臥軌自殺。因為這起自殺未遂的案件，高雄地檢署觀護人意識到問題的嚴重性。高雄地檢署主任觀護人程文珊在辦公室發起無限期的「節飲計畫」，希望能透過小額累積，換取受刑人急需的物資，滿足他們基本的需求，也能換取同事平日的健康。

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