by
Carl Hampton
6/11/2010
Hope. That is quite
possibly one of the strongest words in the
English language.
We hope for many
things, we hope for wealth, to achieve our
dreams, and to succeed. We may hope for
money or possessions, or in the time of need
we may hope for another- whether it be for
them to have the muscle to overcome physical
obstacles, the ability to overcome a health
difficulty, or perhaps the mental strength
to surpass some of life’s many trials.
In America, we live in
a society where most people are granted a
second chance. Right now, across the nation,
there are currently about 70,000
ex-offenders that leave prisons each year.
Many do this with the hope of starting over,
doing right, and being reunited with their
families, with the idea of becoming a more
productive member of society.
But sadly, this doesn’t
come true as often as it should. In fact,
nationwide, nearly 70% of all inmates are
re-arrested within 3 years of being
released, and nearly 50% return to prison in
that same time frame.
Those statistics are
quite depressing, so our government is
attempting to do something about it. The
Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice
Assistance is overseeing $165 million in
grants to local communities nationwide to
help former inmates make a smooth transition
back to normal everyday life. Thus far, the
government has distributed $28 million to
try to keep those who have served their time
from becoming repeat offenders.
For the last four years
the state of Michigan has been hosting an
experiment to put this idea into practice,
and it has produced some interesting
results. In fact, the statistics of
ex-offenders ending up back behind bars have
dropped from 55% to 38%. Only 11% of the
program’s 713 participants have been
convicted of a new crime or committed a
parole violation that has sent them back to
prison.
So, how does this
program work?
Ex- offenders are
involved in weekly sessions (after their
release) with doctors, lawyers, community
leaders, and police officers that help to
play a part in the intensive support that
these ex-offenders need. This counseling
begins 60-90 days before they are released,
and once they are out they are set up with a
program tailored to their needs. Whether it
is temporary housing, employment assistance,
or any kind of drug or alcohol counseling,
these ex-inmates are given the support and
assistance that they may require to help
them become upstanding members of society.
They gather for
periodic meetings to collectively celebrate
new jobs and new opportunities and rally
behind others who might need a helping hand.
This support makes it easier to make good
decisions and harder to make bad ones if
they are held accountable through the group.
Job placement is a big
hurdle that these men and women face; in
fact, the unemployment rate for ex-prisoners
is almost 80% in some parts of our country.
Without jobs it is nearly impossible to keep
up financially, and that is how many of
these individuals end up back in the prison
system.
This idea of helping
prisoners transition back into normal life
in their communities is a new one, but with
our nations prisons becoming more and more
overcrowded we need to start thinking in the
direction of keeping rehabilitated persons
out. Rhode Island officials are starting to
work with offenders up to 6 months before
their release date to teach them the skills
that will be necessary in finding a job,
such as proper appearance for interviews and
how to handle questions about their criminal
pasts.
Just like any other
question- their best advice is to be honest,
and that honesty can come a little easier if
these men and women know that they have a
support system backing them up- with a
little hope- to help them achieve the goal
of not going back to jail.
