Hope for Prisoners

GIVING EX-OFFENDERS A SECOND CHANCE!I’ve mentioned Hope for Prisoners in my blogs many times, but have never written an entire blog dedicated to them. They are so important in the world of reentry and giving people a second chance, I wanted to make sure all of you knew about them. I hope anyone reading this will forward it on, so that the whole world hears about them. Hey, you never know, maybe they will end up on Oprah’s radar.

Founded ten yeas ago by three time felon, Jon Ponder, who found salvation in a prison cell, it is the leading reentry program in America today. It’s a non-profit organization in Las Vegas, NV that has had remarkable success. That success is measured in the numbers of people who have taken the program (over 3,000) and in the resulting recidivism rate of 6.7%, confirmed by a study done by UNLV’s Criminal Justice Department. So much success that it is being replicated across the nation. In fact, Jon was celebrated along with Richard Beasley, the Special FBI Agent who tracked him down and arrested him, (now best friends) on our National Day of Prayer in 2018.

I can personally attest to the success of Hope for Prisoners because my son is currently in the program. He completed the intensive portion of the program and graduated five months ago. He continues to be drug free, has completed six months of intensive parole without incident, continues to help in the program, as well as attend classes every week, and has a terrific job….all due to Hope for Prisoners!

For anyone who has or has had a family member who is experiencing or has experienced our prison system, you know it does not rehabilitate in almost every case. This program has been my son’s salvation, and I am truly grateful to Jon and his entire team.

If you are interested in the program, as a person in the reentry world, in probation, in the prison system, or as a friend or family member of an inmate or former inmate who may need help, please go to: https://hopeforprisoners.org. You will find lots of information on their website. Or, you can call them at: 702-586-1371.

 

TV, RESPECT, AND COMMUNITIES IN PRISON THAT REDUCE RECIDIVISM

Minette is our internationally known guest blogger and focuses on what she has seen in prison that helps reduce recidivism through specific communities and services in prison. 

Whether a prisoner works or goes to school or programs, there is still down time spent in front of the television or shooting the breeze.  Some have their own television, others have it in the common areas. If the television is in the common area, there is a pecking order of who picks what everyone watches. As mentioned in an earlier post, this pecking order or allocation of televisions can be a source of contention among the residents.  Fights do break out about who is in charge.

People who got out of prison said watching shows helped them become familiar with technologies and inventions that didn’t exist when they went in.  Others felt sitting there watching television all day effectively institutionalized the inmates.  There was no initiative or energy involved. It depends on a person’s perspective and what they watched.

I’ve read some prisoners got involved in games like dungeons and dragons. People I spoke with said they played card games or chess; when they were in the yard, they walked the track, played sports including basketball and handball. They also read, with a large percentage indicating they read their bible.  They also wrote letters, kept journals, and made drawings.  There’s a lot of artistic people in prison.

Several interviewees commented on how important being respectful of others is in prison.  It goes hand in hand with the concept of staying in your own lane.  To avoid any violence, you give people enough space, you don’t touch their stuff unless specifically told you can, you don’t look into someone’s cell as you pass, and you don’t try to listen in on another’s conversation. You just don’t invite yourself into another person’s life unless invited.  Prisons are crowded and cramped. Some residents have anger issues or mental health problems, all feel the frustration associated with the lack of control over their own lives. The environment is depressing with dull colors and endless uniformity.  There’s limited daylight and people miss their freedom and the people they care about. They feel deprived of almost everything. Staying respectful of others and out of each other’s way, is the best way to survive safely.

For people still struggling with addiction issues, some prisons have set up dedicated housing units, effectively a side campus, for prisoners who choose and are selected to move to a drug free environment. Therapeutic communities focus on a three month to full year substance abuse treatment program.  Amity In Prison and Gateway programs are examples.  There are intensive counseling meetings, work and mentorships. They can include cognitive behavioral therapy discussing how participants’ perceptions impacts their behavior. The focus is on living right, usually using role models and reinforced by peer support. Often there is a component addressing release and re-entry.   Usually inmates go to these communities as they near their release date.  Many have after care components that provide valuable support after release.   Research indicates a reduction in recidivism associated with participation in these programs, especially those with after care.  At least one person I interviewed lived in a therapeutic community, he felt it a welcome relief from the craziness of the standard prison environment.

Some of the most successful programs have been the dog training programs in prison. One of them is located in the California State Prison, a level four, maximum security facility. Prisoners have to be chosen to participate in the program. Results show that recidivism rates drop significantly for those who participated in the program. Check these sites for more information: Patriot Paws, 4 Paws For Ability, Colorado CCI, Paws With A Cause, Alvernia, and Mass.gov.

There are few medical drug programs in prison to reduce dependence on opioids.  However, Rhode Island established a program for inmates if their initial health assessment indicated a heroin addiction.  Inmates were offered medication assisted drug treatment including either methadone, buprenorphine, or naltrexone.  The program claimed a significant reduction in drug overdoses after release from prison.

There are programs, such as Soldier On, that try to re-instill the strong values of the military back into incarcerated veterans.  The prisons keep the veterans in cell blocks dedicated to only veterans and often provide these inmates with mental health services to address their PTSD, aggression, and addiction problems.  The residents are reported to feel they all look out for each other because they have had similar experiences on the outside.  There is an effort to give them interesting projects to work on, one group built a garden to act as a way-station for butterfly migration, another builds dog houses with military motif decorations.  There is usually support after they leave.  Again, with this extra support, the recidivism rate is much lower than the general population.

Getting Out of Prison

Freedom! One would think that getting out of prison would be something inmates look forward to with joy and anticipation. Well, the anticipation part might be right, but it’s not always looked forward to with joy. Sure they’re happy to get out, but if they’ve been in for any amount of time, there are uncertainties and fears they may be facing.

Photo by Ali Naderi on Pexels.com

Where will I live? How can I get a job with a record? What will my family think of me? Who will trust me? Will my spouse / girlfriend / boyfriend still be waiting for me? Will my children know who I am? Can I stay sober? Can I change my life? Will anyone be there to support me? Who will pick me up when I get out? Sometimes, there are no answers for these questions. They have to be worked out one day and one problem at a time. If they’re lucky, they will already have some of the answers. Someone will be there to pick them up and help them find a place to live and a job. But, some inmates have no one left to help them. They end up in a shelter or on the streets… lost and alone. That’s why Hope for Prisoners in Las Vegas and other organizations like them are out there to help. Hopefully the inmate’s case worker or parole officer has hooked them up with an organization that can provide the help they need.

Unfortunately, housing and jobs are the hardest problems to solve. Most rentals do not take anyone with a criminal record, and most employers will not hire anyone with a record. It’s a maze to be navigated. There are a few organizations that will hire ex-offenders. State agencies like Nevada Workforce or temp agencies may be able to find work for them. Some companies will hire if you tell them up front you have a record, but you’re a changed person. At Hope for Prisoners they help ex-offenders find jobs and have lots of contacts to work with.

Housing can be the hardest. There are halfway houses and sober living houses, but they can be difficult to get into. One solution may be to find a private person with a rental. They might take someone with a record if you tell them the truth. Of course family is the best answer, but that might not be an option if you have burned your bridges or there just isn’t room.

So, if you have a loved one coming out, give them all the support and love you can. Be patient. They have fears they may not be able to express to you. Understand that for some this is a brand new world of computers, smart phones, smart TV’s and a changed landscape from when they were last on the outside. They won’t know how to fill out an application on line or order from a fast food kiosk. They may not even know how to use a computer.

You may have fears too. Will they be able to keep from going back is probably the biggest one. You’ll need to have faith that they can function and stay out. Give them support and believe they can succeed and their chances of succeeding will be greater. Mostly, let them know you love and support them.

I’ll end here by saying my son gets out in less than a month, after over thirteen years in a federal prison, and both of us have all the fears and trepidation I’ve described above. We will be facing all the obstacles others have faced. However, I have faith he is a changed person and will be successful in living a life that will be happy and prison free. That’s the one thing we both pray for.

I’ll be keeping you posted on how he is doing. Keep your fingers crossed!

 

STAYING SANE IN PRISON

We’re proud to post another blog note from our internationally known blogger, Minette. It’s an informative look at the program and educational choices available for inmates in some prisons. 

Staying sane while doing your time in prison can be done two ways.  One is to dull your senses enough, so it doesn’t hurt. The other is to make the time worthwhile.

Prisoners creatively make prison hooch or pruno, the prison wine which only requires water, sugar, a vegetable to ferment, prison pants or socks.  Some prisoners become vintners to make a little extra money. A few ex-offenders I interviewed said they made wine. Obviously, an infraction of the rules, prisoners carefully hid it while fermenting.  This provided job opportunities for guards and look outs. But it and drugs are popular among the population because numbing the senses help many prisoners get through the day.

In addition to work, school and meals, many interviewees attended religious services and sobriety meetings. Usually, there was nothing to do to get into these meetings, other than show up, so they were popular.  Regular attendance at these programs along with supporting documentation about an individual’s efforts at introspection and change help at future parole hearings.

Inmates might attend classes led by outside volunteers. Volunteers teach living skills classes, creative writing and poetry classes, acting workshops as well as other programs.  These creative programs are meant to help the prisoner explore and express their own issues that may have contributed to their incarceration as well as take a mental break from the daily confines of the prison. They say you can lock up the body, but the mind can escape at least for a while.  This also makes reading a frequent pass time in prison.

Many of the poetry and writing classes publish the inmates work, adding a sense of tangible accomplishment.  Betweenthebars.org, MarshallProject.org and other organizations allow prisoners to send in their writing, and have it published online.  It’s a way to communicate to the outside world and not feel forgotten.

There is the Path of Freedom program, taught in many prisons, that focuses on meditation and mindfulness to build emotional intelligence.  For those facing a long prison term, it helps them cope by enhancing their ability to stay in the moment and live day by day rather than be overwhelmed by the thought of a long sentence. There are other programs aimed at changing the way prisoners view the world. For example, the Bridges to Life program or the Insight Prison Program.  These programs include interaction with survivors of violent crimes and are intended to create a cathartic experience for both victims and incarcerated participants. Inmates recognize responsibility for their actions, develop empathy, ultimately forgive themselves for what they have done and move forward. Parole reviews can include an assessment of the prisoner’s recognition and acceptance of the damage they did when they completed their crime.  Understanding the impact of crimes on victims and their families is part of the process. This trend toward Restorative Justice started in juvenile courts and schools in order to keep younger people outside of the retribution programs in jails and prisons, and now it has made its way into the prison system.

There are several groups, religious and non religious, like GOGI.org, or Prison S.M.A.R.T. to help prisoners change the way they react and think. These programs are set up for prisoners who want to change their attitude in order to reduce tension on the inside of the prison and reduce recidivism once they are released.  Some other standard programs offered by many states include: Thinking for a Change, Reasoning and Rehabilitation, and Moral Reconation Therapy.

There are classes organized by local colleges or universities where inmates interact with both teachers and students. This promotes a better understanding from both sides of the fence.  Examples of these programs are Prison Education Project in California or Lipscomb Initiative For Education (LIFE) in Tennessee. Attendees at the Life classes cite benefits including increased self-worth and the hope that they will be a positive influence on their families rather than a source of disappointment that attendees sometimes say they feel they are now. They hope potential employers will take into consideration their efforts to gain a college degree while they were in prison. The coordinator of the program also noted that guards saw participants in the program created a positive influence in the general population of the prison. Teachers and outside students saw how receptive the inside students were to the opportunity to learn and interact with them. Outside students and teachers also had the opportunity to see the inside students as real people, not statistics or lost causes. Requirements to participate included a GED or high school diploma and at least two years of good behavior.

In 2017, there were 67 colleges and universities participating in the Second Chance Pell grant programs in over 100 state and federal penal institutions.  One is associated with Bard Prison Initiative and another with Cornell University and Cayuga Community College. One teacher at Auburn Prison in New York, who teaches under the latter program is Alex Chertok. In his interview with a local paper, he said,

“I didn’t know much about the prison population and was just as intimidated as everyone else and wanted to break through that stigma … When I first started teaching, I looked around and I saw a classroom of criminals. As the semester went on the fear was replaced with a kind of admiration for them…
You learn to see the prison students as students as opposed to convicted felons… They’ve done some heavy stuff, but it doesn’t take long before we see them as students and in many ways they are far brighter and more engaged and more inquisitive than any Cornell or Ithaca College student… Teaching in the program presupposes a fundamental belief in forgiveness, second chances and redemption… In general, these inmates come from awful backgrounds. They were the victims of abuse, violence or neglect… Most of them come from upbringings that didn’t give them a fighting chance to be functional or contributing members of society… They were never given an opportunity like this before and everyone deserves an education and a chance to feel fulfilled and self-actualize. In many cases we are the first time these guys get that chance.”

He believes the program benefits the inmates and the instructors.

“Everyone who has gone through the program has called it varying degrees of life-changing. It’s edifying to see how similar these incarcerated guys are to us… That’s the first shock, that they have nightmares and dreams and fears and they are complex people, so that’s the first empowering realization as an instructor…
It’s a beautiful feeling to watch ourselves undergo the process of seeing these guys as humans… It’s empowering to know we are capable of meaningfully interacting with people we were afraid of in the beginning.”

In 2009, Bard College, started the Consortium for the Liberal Arts in Prison.  There are over ten universities involved in the program in the United States. They attempt to make their education program the dominant feature of the inmate’s prison experience from the time they enroll to their release.  Many continue their studies after release. One participant who went through Grinnell University in prison said, “… his entire way of thinking started to change. Part of that came from the diversity of the program’s curriculum and being exposed to perspectives and subjects he’d never considered before. And part came from little moments like the one he shared with professors … It was the way they kept talking to me… [they] basically convinced me that I was smart.” And he convinced himself that he could have a future that didn’t involve prison. He credits his Grinnell education with giving him the tools and patience to overcome the obstacles he faces daily. “The guy that went into prison wouldn’t have had the patience, the perseverance, the grit to get through that…A liberal arts education doesn’t just throw a lot of knowledge at you, it actually teaches you how to seek knowledge and use it to your benefit,” He cites his speech class as an example.  Information from that class came in handy interviewing for jobs, communicating with his parole officer, landlords, and convincing the Department of Human Services of his ability to be a good father. Right after his release, he applied and was accepted to Kirkwood Community College, which accepted his Grinnell transcript.

In 2014, San Quentin set up a program called the last mile.  Millions of dollars were spent by philanthropists to set up a mock internet so participants could learn coding, website development, and other technical skills. There is a focus on entrepreneurial skill development as well. The program is being rolled out to several other California prisons and is anticipated to be made available across the country.  It has expanded to create prison jobs. None of the participants who have been released from prison, only about 20 as of late 2017, have come back to prison. Although a very small number, that is in the context of California’s over 44% recidivism rate.

But most prisons don’t have colleges and universities on the prison grounds. If the prison does not participate in any on site college education courses, there are correspondence courses available. These courses range from programs that address self-defeating behaviors like anger management, interpersonal behavior, and work preparation skills. One interviewee said he took classes with Rio Salado, a community college in Arizona.  There are other accredited colleges and universities that also offer print based courses that can lead to a degree, for example, Adams State University in Colorado offers degree programs. That seems to be one of the most popular ones. Ohio University, and other schools, offer a correctional education program. These courses generally take longer than a traditional on campus class might take. Mail takes time. And, if someone is moved from one prison location to another, there may be breaks in the process. In order to find and sign up for these classes, incarcerated people may need to depend on outside assistance.  It may be difficult to gather the documentation for the school application while in prison. Remember, prisoners have no access to the internet so research on the options may be difficult although the prison library probably has information.

Besides educational and artistic endeavors, prisons provide physical activities to alleviate stress and use time productively. Most prisons have weights available. Working out gives the inmates something to be able to control in a universe where they have so little control.  Making evident progress on building a well-defined, strong body is an opportunity for someone to feel good about an accomplishment. Plus, it never hurts in that situation to present a strong image.

 

FREEDOM

Photo by izhar khan on Pexels.com

The Fourth of July is over and as I watched the celebrations on TV, I thought about how those of us on the outside have our freedom and those incarcerated do not.

Our forefathers fought for our right to be free. So, why do we incarcerate so many and take away their freedom? Most people will answer that they lost their right to be free. That is true in many cases, but what about those who can’t afford bail and are held for days, weeks, months and sometimes years before a trial is held or they go to court? There are thousands incarcerated waiting for a hearing, a court date or a trial.

The problem is, we have a for profit bail bond system. Other countries do not. If you’re poor and cannot afford your bail, you’ll be forced to wait in jail until your court date is set. The courts are overloaded, so you may wait an extremely long time. Yes, you’ll be credited for time served if convicted, but what if you’re innocent, or if your crime is one you should not be incarcerated for?

In this country, we incarcerate far too many who would best be served by other means: mental health care, substance abuse counseling, proactive parenting, counseling and other types of interventions. Prison does not work to change men and women. More often than not, a person comes out worse than they went in. Angry, isolated, depressed, without resources or skills.

In Norway and Germany, a much more humane approach is taken, their recidivism rate is much lower and their prisons are partially empty. Not so with ours. Our prisons are mass incarceration machines that churn people through like pieces of meat.

Just saying! We are not doing it right.

Taxpayers: Listen Up

Never mind the fact that we are not making progress for rehabilitation of inmates by keeping them in solitary, not educating them, and not teaching them skills so they can get jobs; we the taxpayers, are also paying for that failure!

Below is the 2016 annual cost per inmate for incarceration in California. Please take a look at this, because this is your money and you are not getting a good return for your dollars! Speak to your congress person and let them know you want a change for the better. There is a 60-70% recidivism rate. That could be lowered with programs like Hope for Prisoners in Nevada, more job training and better education. Take these people out of solitary and put them into jobs that will provide them skills for the outside. By the way, it costs more to keep an inmate in solitary than in general population.

How much does it cost to incarcerate an inmate?

California’s Annual Cost to Incarcerate an Inmate in Prison

2016-17

Type of Expenditure	Per Inmate Costs
Security	$32,019
Inmate Health Care	$21,582
Medical care	14,834
Psychiatric services	3,359
Pharmaceuticals	2,143
Dental care	1,246
Facility Operations and Records	$7,025
Facility operations (maintenance and utilities)	4,334
Classification services	1,798
Maintenance of inmate records	723
Reception, testing, assignment	145
Transportation	24
Administration	$4,171
Inmate Food and Activities	$3,484
Food	2,082
Inmate employment	823
Clothing	354
Inmate activities	102
Religious activities	123
Rehabilitation Programs	$2,437
Academic education	1,237
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy	823
Vocational training	377
Miscellaneous	$93
Total	$70,812

• It costs an average of about $71,000 per year to incarcerate an inmate in prison in California.
• Over three-quarters of these costs are for security and inmate health care.
• Since 2010-11, the average annual cost has increased by about $22,000 or about 45 percent. This includes an increase of $7,900 for security and $7,200 for inmate health care. This increase has been driven by various factors, including (1) employee compensation, (2) increased inmate health care costs, and (3) operational costs related to additional prison capacity to reduce prison overcrowding.

Last Updated: March 2017

 

Prison Policy Initiative: a Must Read

I have copied part of the press release by Prison Policy Initiative from March 4, 2016. What an eye-opener. It is a must read for anyone who has family or friends incarcerated,or for anyone who pays taxes and wants to know what is happening to their money in terms of effectiveness. We need reform. There are so many people incarcerated who should be treated differently, yet the judicial system continues to incarcerate them. Please go to http://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/pie2016.html to view the statistics and pie charts. (Because they are not static, I could not copy them here).

Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2016

By Peter Wagner and Bernadette Rabuy
March 14, 2016
Press release

Wait, does the United States have 1.4 million or more than 2 million people in prison? Are most people in state and federal prisons locked up for drug offenses? Frustrating questions like these abound because our systems of confinement are so fragmented and controlled by various entities. There is a lot of interesting and valuable research out there, but varying definitions make it hard — for both people new to criminal justice and for experienced policy wonks — to get the big picture.

This report offers some much needed clarity by piecing together this country’s disparate systems of confinement. The American criminal justice system holds more than 2.3 million people in 1,719 state prisons, 102 federal prisons, 942 juvenile correctional facilities, 3,283 local jails, and 79 Indian Country jails as well as in military prisons, immigration detention facilities, civil commitment centers, and prisons in the U.S. territories.1 And we go deeper to provide further detail on why convicted and not convicted people are locked up in local jails.

Pie chart showing the number of people locked up on a given day in the United States by facility type and the underlying offense using the newest data available in March 2016.Pie chart showing the number of people locked up on a given day in the United States in jails, by convicted and not convicted status, and by the underlying offense, using the newest data available in March 2016. Graph showing the number of people in jails from 1983 to 2014 by whether they have been convicted or not. The number of convicted people stopped growing in 1999, but the number of unconvicted people continues to grow.Graph showing, for the years 2007 to 2014, the number of people — 11.4 to 13.6 million — a year who are admitted to jail per year and the number of people — about 700,000 to 800,000 — who are in jail on a given day.

While this pie chart provides a comprehensive snapshot of our correctional system, the graphic does not capture the enormous churn in and out of our correctional facilities and the far larger universe of people whose lives are affected by the criminal justice system. Every year, 636,000 people walk out of prison gates, but people go to jail over 11 million times each year.2 Jail churn is particularly high because most people in jails3 have not been convicted. Some have just been arrested and will make bail in the next few hours or days, and others are too poor to make bail and must remain behind bars until their trial. Only a small number (195,000) have been convicted, generally serving misdemeanors sentences under a year.

Pie chart showing the portion of people incarcerated in federal prisons, state prisons and local jails for drug offenses. While the War on Drugs is a defining characteristic of the federal prison system, it plays only a supporting role at the state and local levelsChart showing the number and portion of people incarcerated in the federal prison system by offense. Drugs and public order offenses are the most common, with drugs being about half.Chart showing the number of arrests for drug possession and drug sales/manufacturing from 1980 to 2012. For the last 20 years, the number of arrests for drug sales have remained flat, while the number of arrests for posession have grown.Chart showing the portion of New York State’s and Oklahoma’s state prison population that is incarcerated for a drug offense from 1992 to 2014. The portion of New York State’s prison population that is incarcerated for drug offenses has been consistently falling, while Oklahoma’s rose to a peak in 2006 and has been consistently above 25% since 1999.

With a sense of the big picture, a common follow-up question might be: how many people are locked up for a drug offense? We know that almost half a million people are locked up because of a drug offense.4 The data confirms that nonviolent drug convictions are a defining characteristic of the federal prison system, but play only a supporting role at the state and local levels. While most people in state and local facilities are not locked up for drug offenses, most states’ continued practice of arresting people for drug possession5 destabilizes individual lives and communities. Drug arrests give residents of over-policed communities criminal records, which then reduce employment prospects and increase the likelihood of longer sentences for any future offenses.

All of the offense data presented comes with an important set of caveats. A person in prison for multiple offenses is reported only for the most serious offense6 so, for example, there are people in prison for “violent” offenses who might have also been convicted of a drug offense. Further, almost all convictions are the result of plea bargains, where people plead guilty to a lesser offense, perhaps of a different category or one that they may not have actually committed.

And many of these categories group together people convicted of a wide range of offenses. For example, “murder” is generally considered to be an extremely serious offense, but “murder” groups together the rare group of serial killers, with people who committed acts that are unlikely for reasons of circumstance or advanced age to ever happen again, with offenses that the average American may not consider to be murder at all. For example, the felony murder rule says that if someone dies during the commission of a felony, everyone involved is as guilty of murder as the person who pulled the trigger. Driving a getaway car during a bank robbery where someone was accidentally killed is indeed a serious offense, but few people would really consider that to be murder.7

Chart showing the number and portion of youth locked up by offense types, showing that most incarcerated youth are locked up for nonviolent offenses, and that 7,200 youth are incarcerated for ‘offenses’ that are not even crimes. The graph notes that it does not include the 5,200 youth locked up in adult prisons or jails nor the almost 20,000 youth held by the juvenile justice system in residential facilities away from home. Cart showing that 52,000 people are confined for immigration offenses, with 19,000 in Bureau of Prisons custody on criminal charges, and the remainder in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody on civil detention. About half of those in ICE custody are in ICE facilities, and about half are confined under contract with local jails. Cart showing the 5,487 people civilly committed in 16 states and the federal system. The largest number are in California — unsurprising, given that it is the largest state in the country — followed by Minnesota, a state that is seven times smaller and that has one of the lowest prison incarceration rates in the nation.

This “whole pie” methodology also exposes some disturbing facts about the youth entrapped in our juvenile justice system: Too many are there for a “most serious offense” that is not even a crime. For example, there are almost 7,000 youth behind bars for “technical violations” of the requirements of their probation, rather than for a new offense. Further, 600 youth are behind bars for “status” offenses, which are “behaviors that are not law violations for adults, such as running away, truancy, and incorrigibility.”8

Turning finally to the people who are locked up criminally and civilly for immigration-related issues, we find that 19,000 people are in federal prison for criminal convictions of violating federal immigration laws. A separate 33,000 are civilly detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) separate from any criminal proceedings and are physically confined in special immigration detention facilities or in local jails under contract with ICE. (Notably, these categories do not include immigrants represented in other pie slices because of non-immigration related criminal convictions.)

Now, armed with the big picture of how many people are locked up in the United States, where, and why, we have a better foundation for the long overdue conversation about criminal justice reform. For example, the data makes it clear that ending the War on Drugs will not alone end mass incarceration, but that the federal government and some states have effectively reduced their incarcerated populations by turning to drug policy reform. Looking at the “whole pie” also opens up other conversations about where we should focus our energies:
•What is the role of the federal government in ending mass incarceration? The federal prison system is just a small slice of the total pie, but the federal government can certainly use its financial and ideological power to incentivize and illuminate better paths forward. At the same time, how can elected sheriffs, district attorneys, and judges slow the flow of people into the criminal justice system?
•Are state officials and prosecutors willing to rethink both the War on Drugs and the reflexive policies that have served to increase both the odds of incarceration and length of stay for “violent” offenses?
•Do policymakers and the public have the focus to confront the second largest slice of the pie: the thousands of locally administered jails? And does it even make sense to arrest millions of poor9 people each year10 for minor offenses, make them post cash bail, and then lock them up when they can’t afford to pay it? Will our leaders be brave enough to redirect corrections spending to smarter investments like community-based drug treatment and job training?
•Can we implement reforms that both reduce the number of people incarcerated in the U.S. and the well-known racial and ethnic disparities in the criminal justice system?

Chart comparing the racial and ethnic distribution of the total U.S. population with that of the incarcerated population. Whites are a majority of the total U.S. population, but a minority of the prison population. Blacks, Latinos and Native Americans are a disproportionately larger share of the incarcerated population than they are of the total U.S. population. Chart comparing the gender distribution of the total U.S. population with that of the incarcerated population. Men are almost half of the total U.S. population, but are a majority (91%) of the incarcerated population. Women are just 9% of the incarcerated population, but this portion has doubled since 1970.Pie chart showing that people in correctional facilities are only about a third of the people under correctional control in the United States. Most (55%) are on probation. The remainder are on parole.

And once we have wrapped our minds around the “whole pie” of mass incarceration, we should zoom out and note that being locked up is just one piece of the larger pie of correctional control. There are another 820,000 people on parole (a type of conditional release from prison) and a staggering 3.8 million people on probation (what is typically an alternative sentence). Particularly given the often onerous conditions of probation, policymakers should be cautious of “alternatives to incarceration” that sometimes widen the net of criminalization to people who are not a threat to public safety.

Now that we can see the big picture of how many people are locked up in the United States in the various types of facilities, we can see that something needs to change. Looking at the big picture requires us to ask if it really makes sense to lock up 2.3 million people on any given day, giving this nation the dubious distinction of having the highest incarceration rate in the world. Both policymakers and the public have the responsibility to carefully consider each individual slice in turn to ask whether legitimate social goals are served by putting each category behind bars, and whether any benefit really outweighs the social and fiscal costs.

We’re optimistic that this “whole pie” approach can give Americans, who are ready for a fresh look at the criminal justice system, some of the tools they need to demand meaningful changes to how we do justice.

Acknowledgments

This 2016 report was made possible by a generous grant from the Public Welfare Foundation and the contributions of individuals across the country who support justice reform. The infographic slideshows and the graph of correctional control were made possible by Gabe Isman of our Young Professionals Network. Bob Machuga and J. Andrew World helped with design issues, and Alison Walsh helped us gather research. Melissa Sickmund at the National Center for Juvenile Justice and Todd Minton at the Bureau of Justice Statistics expanded our knowledge of agencies’ datasets; and Alex Friedmann, Neelum Arya and Drew Kukorowski provided invaluable feedback on earlier drafts of this report. Any errors or omissions, and final responsibility for all of the many value judgements required to produce a data visualization like this, however, are the sole responsibility of the authors.

Texas Bans Inmates From Social Media

Re-blogged from Fusion: Written by Casey Tolan. This practice violates the basic right of free speech and the ability of inmates to stay connected to society. It perpetuates “warehousing” of inmates rather than rehabilitating them.

Texas is banning inmates from having any kind of social media accounts—including accounts run in their name by friends or family members.

A new rule prohibiting all inmates from “maintaining active social media accounts for the purposes of soliciting, updating, or engaging others” was included in the latest version of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice’s offender handbook, which was updated April 1.

Texas officials say the new measure is necessary because some inmates misuse social media. “Offenders have used social media accounts to sell items over the internet based on the notoriety of their crime, harass victims or victim’s families, and continue their criminal activity,” spokesperson Jason Clark said in an email. “The agency will take all of the necessary steps to prevent that from happening.”

Clark said that the department will reach out to social media companies to ask that accounts in inmates’ names be taken down, and that the new rule will strengthen their ability to do so. Inmates who are found to have social media accounts would be punished with a level three disciplinary violation, the lowest level violation in the system.

For many inmates, social media pages can be lifelines to the outside world. Prisoners write posts, send them to a friend or family member through snail mail, and ask the friend post them on Facebook. (Texas inmates have no internet access.) Some pages are diaries about their days behind bars, others serialize autobiographies, and others write poetry or fiction.

“These pages are beyond important because this is how the average joe finds out about the humanity of the people on death row,” said Pat Hartwell, an anti-death penalty activist in Houston who updates a Facebook page for death row inmate Charles Flores.

Hartwell said that death row inmates were told that the new policy will start being enforced tomorrow. She took down Flores’ page yesterday to avoid getting him in trouble, and several other family members and activists also posted on Facebook that they were taking down pages for inmates.

The rule could run up against First Amendment issues. Dave Maass, a researcher with the Electronic Frontier Foundation who has studied inmate social media regulations, said he thought the rule was unconstitutionally broad.

“This policy violates the free speech rights of both the inmates and the family members and friends of inmates,” Maass said. “I don’t think it’s appropriate for a prison to tell someone on the outside what they can and can’t post when it doesn’t involve criminal activity.”

A Facebook spokesperson declined to comment on the rule.

Texas isn’t the first state to punish inmates for using social media. In South Carolina, inmates who are caught using Facebook are punished with solitary confinement. In Maine, inmates aren’t allowed to publish a blog or any other kind of writing online.

 

How To Engage Those Who Continue With Misconduct

Re-blogged from Stevendjennings.com Blog on April 22, 2016. (These are some of the principals currently being used at Hope For Prisoners in Las Vegas, NV, with great success. For those who complete the 18 month program, the recidivism rate is just 6.5%).

For years I engaged in misconduct. As a matter of fact, I pretty much wrote a book on it. It’s called, “Stone City: Life In The Penitentiary.” Today I reflect back to those sad days (and beyond) and I ask myself, “What could’ve reached me? What would’ve it taken for me to change my negative lifestyle?”

The answer is clear: meaningful activities that inspire intrinsic motivation, guidance, mentoring, and I needed mental practitioners who would’ve constantly provided positive reinforcements.

I dream and hope for a program that could change countless lives all over the country. The details are complex, but the concept is simple:

PHASE ONE:
Offer programs that inspire intrinsic motivation. Every state has multiple correctional facilities. So implement specific programs in the facilities that are best suited for those specific programs. For example, one facility could specialize in automotive and mechanic programs, while another facility specializes in animals and veterinarian programs. Lessen the criteria of these programs and make them available to those who have never had such opportunities.

PHASE TWO:
Strategically place mental practitioners around the facility to offer positive reinforcement, mentoring, encouragement, etc.

PHASE THREE:
Work with outside companies that will hire some of these highly skilled men the second they’re released.

If this simple, realistic concept was properly implemented nationwide, I guarantee the recidivism rate would be lower than the current 66%.