Prison Reform Starts With Me

The U.S. government finally found something to agree on; prison reform.    President Trump signed the The First Step Act earlier this month.  Provisions in the act could reduce the time served in prison through participation in programs that can earn them more time at halfway houses (still prison but just closer to home).  Not everyone would be eligible and there are over 13 pages of the law that exempts those convicted of certain crimes.   I agree with a lot of people that it is a step in the right direction but it will may take decades to fix our incarceration problem … and it is a problem.

Relying on the government to resolve this problem is a big ask.  President George W. Bush signed the Second Chance Act in April 2008, which was also a step in the right  direction.   With that, people in prison could  be eligible for extended stays  in halfway houses.   The problem was that there were insufficient beds in halfway houses to truly  implement the spirit of Second Chance.  The  same  could  be an issue for First Step, but Trump is more keen to use private companies for incarceration … so look for more contracts with CoreCivic and GEO for halfway houses.

A real first step in prison reform starts with me, with you.  Individuals in our  society can do more to bring about real change in how our prison system functions and reducing recidivism.  Why should  you care?  Because we are paying for a corrections system that is destined to fail because it is so poorly run and expensive … and you the tax payer are footing the bill.

Government is going to take too long  to fix the problem so let’s look at things we can do right now … here’s my list:

1. Job – A number of states have started initiatives to “Ban The  Box,” not asking about someone’s criminal history.  Even if there is a box, who cares.  People who  have gone to prison have skills and many have good work ethic.  In fact, most people I know that have been to prison are so thankful that they would be probably be your best employee!    Just giving someone a chance at a job, an interview, is a step in understanding more about the people we incarcerate.  Over 60% of those in federal prison are in low or minimum  security  settings, meaning that there crimes were not ones of violence.  Never underestimate the power of a job and give someone a chance.  In  a letter from the Federal Public Defenders in their opposition to First Step,  they cite that “Federal Prison Industries (where inmates work for a higher wage than standard prison jobs) has been proven to reduce recidivism more than any other program―inmates who participate in FPI work programs are 24% less likely to recidivate for as long as 12 years following release as compared to similarly situated non-participants. By giving them marketable job skills, they were also 14% more likely than non-participants to be employed 12 months after release.”  If jobs work for people in prison, how much better will they work after prison.
2. Read – I’m not talking about  “Shaw Shank” or “Cool Hand Luke.” but something written by someone who has gone through the prison experience, or the justice system.  We  all need  to know more about the people  we incarcerate  and the laws that send people to prison.  Here are some of my favorites:
   1. Strange Path To Freedom (Holly  Pasut)
   2. American Prison One: A  Reporter’s Undercover Journey into the  Business of Punishment  (Shane Bauer)
   3. Prison Baby (Deborah Jiang-Stein)
   4. The Prison Book Club (Ann Walmsley)
   5. Escape Artist: Memoir Of A Visionary Artist On Death Row (William A. Noguera)
3. Visit – As tax payers, you should go see what your money is purchasing.  There are numerous programs that allow people to visit prisons, some of them  enacted under the Second Chance Act.  If people want to get involved in prison reform, go  meet the people who are in our prisons.
4. Communicate – One of my life’s most memorable and rewarding experiences was visiting someone in prison.  No cell phone, no distraction, just sitting with another human being and talking to them about things that are important.  It is a known fact that as people are incarcerated longer, the less the contact that they have with someone  on the outside.  People get busy and move on with their lives.  If you know someone in prison, just reach out to them and say “hi.”  The only way that they  can reintegrate back into society is for them to have contact with people who have been living in society.

As we end this year, remember that there are not only many people in our prisons, there will be many who are coming home during 2019.  For many  of them, the journey home is more frightening that the journey into prison.

Here is to a better 2019 !!