Prisoners Ride the Tour de France!

I was in a CVS this morning when a man came up to me. He exclaimed, "I was just watching the tour de france, and then here you are!" I didn't think the Tour de France had begun yet. He explained that France is having a tour for prisoners. Seriously? I could not imagine a cooler parallel for our trip. I ran back to my dad to share the news. The ride is an innovative approach to prisoner rehabilitation. You can listen to the NPR story by clicking here. You can read the BBC story here. I am truly impressed by the French penal system for thinking outside of the box and treating prisoners as humans. Time in prison is time of neglect and disempowerment. Riding a bike in a group of people, being cheered for, that is hope. I have felt such hope, joy and humanity over the last couple of weeks. I'm glad that French prisoners are getting a taste of that as well.