I've often stated that one of the best judges of a civilization (or society) is how it treats its dissidents and its disadvantaged. In the world of today, particularly in the U.S.A. one of the variables that allow us to study this theory is what is going on in prisons ... how are we treating convicts?
For the past 25 years in the USA we've been building one new prison each week. Since 1980 we've spent money on building prisons and on the increased costs of healthcare for prisoners vs. spending money on any kind of education. Today, according to Congresswoman Ms. Gwen Moore (D-Wisconsin) 70% of state prison prisoners need substance abuse treatment, yet only 55% of facilities even offer such treatment.
There are 487 incarcerated people per 100,000 people in the country (2003 statistic) about a 50% increase since 1992. One thousand, six hundred people each day leave prison with "gate money" (from $20 to $200) and a one-way bus ticket. Of those, only 13% are in some sort of pre-release program. Nineteen percent of prisoners earn a G.E.D. while in prison and only 68% are involved in some sort of work program.
There are several studies, the Virginia Department of Corrections among them, that demonstrate that prisoners who pursue education have a recidivism drop of 59%. Why do we not prepare prisoners to return to society?
In 1976 the average case load for a parole officer was 45 cases. Today, the average case load is 70 or more. One of the most interesting findings in this brief research work has been was how many prisoners serve the maximum sentence ... resulting in no parole. We've given up on a concept called "discretionary parole". Today, the trend is toward having prisoners go "full term" even those that have little preparation for life after prison.
However, there are things being done and they appear to show some results. Both Richard County, Ohio and Fort Wayne, Indiana have established what they call "re-entry court". Before you are even sentenced you are told what is expected of you to exit prison. Missouri established a concept to make prison life like "real life", work time ... personal time ... (which includes community service and exercise as well as down-time). The Safer Foundation in Chicago established basic skills training in Illinois where the inmate is both student and teacher. They tracked job performance upon an inmate's release and found that if a released inmate can keep their job for 30 days, they tend to settle in ... and only 20% return to prison (within a 3-year window ... their tracking time.)
Texas established a horticulture inmate program in 1991 with significant success. Iowa has a similar "master gardener" program. One of the programs I like the most (and would be just as powerful for frequently traveling people) is called "parenting from prison". In 1999 over one and a half million kids had parents in prison. While in prison an inmate can "make a hug" (a paper cut out of the parent) and make a book mark (so their child thinks of them ... and their reading ... while they are reading) and even laminated photo placemats.
As the prison population has risen, and appears to be continuing to rise, I suggest we do not abandon prisoners into a black hole of despair and loss of hope. Humans can live for days without food ... hours without water ... minutes without air. Humans can not live without hope.
bobby t - 7/20/2007 7:58:20 AM DST (GMT-4)
For what may we hope? What can I know? and What ought I do? Kant put this question in the first person singular along with the two others to bring to light the human condition. With that in mind, I wonder how we can consider hope as it might arise in the human condition - whether a person is in a government prison or their own personal hell or not? What directs hope towards a future goodness that transcends our ability to understand what it is. Hope anticipates the good for which those who have it lack the appropriate concepts to understand it. Hope lives in that it's aim is for a subjectivity that does not yet exist.
I am not in the position to plumb the depths of the soul of a person in prison, or a prison system that aids or denies the education of inmates. My question is what can we legitimately hope at a time when our sense of purpose and meaning that has be bequeathed to us by our culture has altered or collapsed? In other words, the central question is not can humans live without hope? but rather, What would it be for a person to be justified? The question of hope is intimately bound to the question of how to live. If you take your hope to be justified then you can choose to live in distinctive ways. But you can also take hope and use it in the service of self-deception: avoid seeing the cravenness of one's acts because you take yourself to be ushering in a hopeful future. To my mind, hope plays a critical role in a courageous life. Exploring what is courage might be in such a challenging existence as prison would be good topic for your next newsletter. Hint: look to Aristotle's method.
rufus - 8/11/2007 5:45:29 AM DST (GMT-4)
Hi Watts,
Hope all is well.
I really like the design and content of this website.
Keep punchin!
R
Just visiting - 11/14/2007 11:44:23 AM DST (GMT-4)
Good article. Too bad we have to have prisons at all. I don't believe we do. But as I continue to tell people all the time, the minute the prison system became a multibillion dollar highly profitable industry, the concept of public safety went out the window. Too many jobs and too many profits DEPEND on crime.
Prisons for public safety and prisons for Profits: the two cannot coexist. Even in states like mine where for profit prisons do not yet exist, many companies profit off the services they provide to this industry. Until we take away the ability to profit off a human's back, common sense will fall back into place. The hysteria from the media and even hollywood helps fuel this industry. They are after all corporations. I won't even get into the race factor but I will say this: slavery is alive and well.
Fact is, profit making is like a rat; it keeps eating and eating and is never satisfied. If we allow profit making to drive this industry, any one of us will be fodder for this raving monster. I have met too many people who are innocent in prison, too many who are over convicted, and over sentenced. They are not being let out on parole or appeals because to do so would be like removing a big fat wad of money from a high interest bearing account. You keep it there as long as you possibly can to yield the most.
THAT'S what we all need to be fighting!
Thanks for caring enough to write this article.
LoveBug - 3/26/2008 11:24:17 AM DST (GMT-4)
i see.... I really do see....
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