Check these guys out. St. Leonard's Ministries
In short, these guys are taking care of men and women once they are released from prison. The recidivism rate for people involved in this program is 20% compared with 50% in the surrounding area. WOW!
What are they doing that is so special? As far as I can tell, they're simply meeting the housing, employment and educational needs of recently released prisoners in the Illinios area.
I've contacted them requesting an interview and will post my information on Whitzerland once they get back to me.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Prison Policy Initiative
Prison Policy Initiative
These guys are doing some of the best policy work on American prison reform. They serve as a watchdog over the prison system by documenting Census Bureau reporting of the incarcerated, performing geographic research and tracking sentencing effects.
Check these guys out and give them all your spare money while you're at it.
These guys are doing some of the best policy work on American prison reform. They serve as a watchdog over the prison system by documenting Census Bureau reporting of the incarcerated, performing geographic research and tracking sentencing effects.
Check these guys out and give them all your spare money while you're at it.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Paradigm Shift
Western Thinking Needs Paradigm Shift to Reform Penal System
Current Penal System Ills
The California Penal system is broken and the proposed solutions are woefully inadequate. The ideas coming from
In the midst of appalling statistical evidence, it is almost impossible to find a proponent of the current penal system.
To make matters worse, the state of
Western Thinking
The argument against Western health care is that it addresses the effects while ignoring the causes. I’m not sure that our approach to prison management could be honored with an analogous argument; we’re not even addressing the effects of a barely functioning prison system.
Politics and views of the appropriate size of government aside, the idea of privatized prisons was originally a very appealing idea. After all, proponents of privatizing prisons claimed that private companies would reduce costs by up to 20%. I guess “up to” is a pretty important clause as the BJA’s (Bureau of Justice Assistance) conclusion was that the involvement of private corporations in the federal prison system actually resulted in a 1% cost reduction.
On the other hand, releasing 40,000 inmates before they serve their full sentence is definitely going to be a paradigm shift in the way we do corrections management in the state of
My biggest issue with these solutions is that once again we’re not addressing the cause or the root of the problem. The
If we’re going to make any decent attempt at repairing this flat tire, then we need to ask why we’re driving over nails on the way to work everyday. A systemic problem begs for systemic solutions and laughs at any other feeble attempt.
Paradigm Shift
This isn’t a new concept in the world of penal system reform. Proposals of holistic development solutions have seen varied amounts of approval and progress within the system. Education, job training and faith based initiatives are knocking at the door of addressing the root cause in our disastrous penal system.
The root issue, however, is not simply socioeconomic. By definition, refusal to obey socially agreed upon rules and regulations (for the most part) is a violation of the social contract that we must live by in order to sustain a safe society of liberty and freedom.
This disobedience must not be confused with ignorance or lack of understanding; it is a result of moral depravity and the lack of community guided ethics. If this point is granted, then it becomes clear that a true approach to reform must be grounded in appreciation for humanity and the community in which it lives.
If one is not able to respect oneself, then we cannot expect him or her to live by socially accepted values in order to contribute to a social contract. Thus, we must start with the individual and the community in which he or she lives.
It is easy to see how a system based on punishment can exacerbate the issues that it wishes to correct. The
In short, the
The idea of treating people like actual people (as opposed to caged animals) sounds revolutionary, but it is already out there. There are a couple of operations that seem to embody the idea of dignifying human life as behavioral correction: Puppies Behind Bars and David Kennedy’s approach to policing policy.
Puppies Behind Bars is a program that uses inmates to train police dogs and vision impaired dogs. The inmates are fully responsible for the care and training of another life and this results in a significant maturation process during their sentence.
David Kennedy is another policing policy expert who values treating criminals with dignity and respect. One of his methods consists of giving known drug dealers the option between participating in a mentorship program and continuing with the normal criminal proceedings of arrest and incarceration.
It seems as though the system is broken beyond repair. Quick fixes will not provide significant solutions and will probably only hinder progress. The
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Like Dominoes
The California penal system has set a precedent that other states seem to think is acceptable.
According to MSNBC, Colorado, Oregon, Kentucky and Connecticut are following suit and similarly releasing prisoners in order to relieve budget pressures.
The obvious and immediate result is that the recidivism rate will probably rise sharply due to an early release program in an unstable economy. The long term (and apparently not so obvious to our legislators) result is that our penal system will be made a laughingstock. Just ask Randall Countryman how he feels about serving 21 years of a life sentence for attempted murder and armed robbery. He's upset that his early release isn't landing him the job for which he's worked so hard to find.
According to MSNBC, Colorado, Oregon, Kentucky and Connecticut are following suit and similarly releasing prisoners in order to relieve budget pressures.
The obvious and immediate result is that the recidivism rate will probably rise sharply due to an early release program in an unstable economy. The long term (and apparently not so obvious to our legislators) result is that our penal system will be made a laughingstock. Just ask Randall Countryman how he feels about serving 21 years of a life sentence for attempted murder and armed robbery. He's upset that his early release isn't landing him the job for which he's worked so hard to find.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
A Solution
I listed a small sample of the current problems with the Federal penal system in my last blog. I hope there were enough stats to communicate the idea that our system is broken and in need of repair.
There are multiple possible solutions for the state of the federal penal system, but I want to focus one of the most exciting/divisive solutions out there: Privatized Prisons.
The Bureau of Justice Assistance produced a 90 page monograph about the history, concept and actual effectiveness of privatized prisons. I spent a few hours reading it and have summed it up in a few paragraphs. In case you're wondering, I actually enjoyed sifting through it and can't wait until some policy nerd reads my stuff one day.
First of all, prison privatization isn't what we think of when we first hear the term.
"Privatization in correctional services can assume a number of institutional characteristics. For instance, the most common form of privatization in corrections is the contracting out (or outsourcing) of specific services that entails a competition among private bidders to perform governmental activities." BJA
I had visions of trans national corporations buying prisons and using the inmates as a workforce to produce cheap goods. Apparently this is not the case in the majority of private correction facilities. Another thing to keep in mind is that private prisons currently make up less than 5% of the market.
The basic pros and cons of the argument are simple:
Pros Private Prisons: 1. provide construction as needed in order to reduce government debt. 2. produce facilities in half the time it takes the government. 3. provide economic devlopment. 4. create competition that lowers costs
Cons Private Prisons: 1. may become monopoly in the system through ingratiation, favortism. 2. have financial motivation that is opposite the end goal (i.e. production is the machine so they want to keep the parts working-inmates) 3. procurement is slow, inefficient and open to risk
I kid you not. That is basically the gist of the argument posed by the Fed. The history of privatized prisons was fascinating, but not integral to the argument. It should suffice to say that private prisons have been around since the 15th Century and were commonplace until the 1900s.
Summary
So, what's all the fuss about? Proponents of privatized prisons claim that they will reduce costs by up to 20%. The BJA found that private prisons actually only save 1% of costs and this was due mostly to lower labor costs.
Victory for the egalitarians? I think not. This is simply a summary of the argument put forth by the BJA. Who knows what their motivations are?
In an attempt to continue an objective investigation, I'm going to check out a few arguments from the two biggest private corrections companies: The Corrections Corporation of America owns 54.1% of private prison action while the Wackenhut Corrections Company owns 25.1%.
The Verdict
Theoretically: the argument can still be made for privatized prisons. Statistically: the BJA says there's not much reason to continue this discussions. Ethically: we'll discuss that after a few more posts.
There are multiple possible solutions for the state of the federal penal system, but I want to focus one of the most exciting/divisive solutions out there: Privatized Prisons.
The Bureau of Justice Assistance produced a 90 page monograph about the history, concept and actual effectiveness of privatized prisons. I spent a few hours reading it and have summed it up in a few paragraphs. In case you're wondering, I actually enjoyed sifting through it and can't wait until some policy nerd reads my stuff one day.
First of all, prison privatization isn't what we think of when we first hear the term.
"Privatization in correctional services can assume a number of institutional characteristics. For instance, the most common form of privatization in corrections is the contracting out (or outsourcing) of specific services that entails a competition among private bidders to perform governmental activities." BJA
I had visions of trans national corporations buying prisons and using the inmates as a workforce to produce cheap goods. Apparently this is not the case in the majority of private correction facilities. Another thing to keep in mind is that private prisons currently make up less than 5% of the market.
The basic pros and cons of the argument are simple:
Pros Private Prisons: 1. provide construction as needed in order to reduce government debt. 2. produce facilities in half the time it takes the government. 3. provide economic devlopment. 4. create competition that lowers costs
Cons Private Prisons: 1. may become monopoly in the system through ingratiation, favortism. 2. have financial motivation that is opposite the end goal (i.e. production is the machine so they want to keep the parts working-inmates) 3. procurement is slow, inefficient and open to risk
I kid you not. That is basically the gist of the argument posed by the Fed. The history of privatized prisons was fascinating, but not integral to the argument. It should suffice to say that private prisons have been around since the 15th Century and were commonplace until the 1900s.
Summary
So, what's all the fuss about? Proponents of privatized prisons claim that they will reduce costs by up to 20%. The BJA found that private prisons actually only save 1% of costs and this was due mostly to lower labor costs.
Victory for the egalitarians? I think not. This is simply a summary of the argument put forth by the BJA. Who knows what their motivations are?
In an attempt to continue an objective investigation, I'm going to check out a few arguments from the two biggest private corrections companies: The Corrections Corporation of America owns 54.1% of private prison action while the Wackenhut Corrections Company owns 25.1%.
The Verdict
Theoretically: the argument can still be made for privatized prisons. Statistically: the BJA says there's not much reason to continue this discussions. Ethically: we'll discuss that after a few more posts.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
The Concept
I eventually want to work in public policy, but I want to have something to say by the time I get there. I've realized a few things in my educational career:
1. I process information when I write. Thus, Whitzerland: blog style.
2. I'm inspired by conversation. Whether I'm angered by a stubborn know-it-all or excited by thoughtful intellect, I'm always inspired by conversation. Thus, Whitzerland: I need feedback and comments.
3. Art communicates emotion. Thus, Whitzerland: I'm going to start publishing my emotions.
These three things (along with a good friend's urgings) have led me to Whitzerland.
I hope that Whitzerland leads us to discussion; I hope that discussion leads us to conclusions; I hope that conclusions lead us to action. I hope that our actions do not destroy the world that our parents built for us.
1. I process information when I write. Thus, Whitzerland: blog style.
2. I'm inspired by conversation. Whether I'm angered by a stubborn know-it-all or excited by thoughtful intellect, I'm always inspired by conversation. Thus, Whitzerland: I need feedback and comments.
3. Art communicates emotion. Thus, Whitzerland: I'm going to start publishing my emotions.
These three things (along with a good friend's urgings) have led me to Whitzerland.
I hope that Whitzerland leads us to discussion; I hope that discussion leads us to conclusions; I hope that conclusions lead us to action. I hope that our actions do not destroy the world that our parents built for us.
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