Ending Mass Incarceration: Are We Prepared? 7/7/2015

Recently it has been reported that President Obama intends to commute the sentences of 80 people who have been incarcerated on nonviolent drug charges.  Kudos, kinda--- as Dr. Boyce Watkins recently put it, “What about the other 30,000?”  But perhaps it’s good that the other 30,000 haven’t been commuted yet.  Why?  Because, frankly, we haven’t prepared ourselves for it.

In our society, we have a habit of writing people off once they’ve gotten themselves caught up in the system.  As a result, we’ve done a poor job of making provisions for those who are released.  They go to prison for “doing what they gotta do to get by”, they get out, and they find themselves still in the same socio-economic situation they were in BEFORE their incarceration, if not worse.  So before we talk about releasing 30,000 prisoners to go home to their families and communities, we need to talk about ways to KEEP them home so that they don’t end up BACK in the system.

This is where education comes in.  If we’re serious about ending mass incarceration for non-violent drug offenders, then we need to be prepared to offer them constructive alternatives to the streets upon their release.  Are we creating educational programs for our released prisoners?  Are we creating literacy programs for them?  Are we offering training so that they can learn a trade?  Are we ensuring that gainful employment is available for them?  Do we have enough mental health facilities for those who may need it?  Where are we on removing “the box” from job applications so that they get a fair shot at employment?

The thing about mass incarceration is this:  it’s often people who are denied educational opportunity and gainful employment as free citizens who end up resorting to less-than-acceptable methods of survival and going to prison.  So it’s almost like we need to be prepared to offer them as prisoners-released the very things we should have been offering them as free men with clean records.

It’s all a part of understanding what it means to be a “society”.  We have this idea that we can just throw people away when they cause trouble, but we’re all connected; when a man or woman goes to prison, their significant others and/or children are still free, and they’re affected.  And then the affected parties affect the rest of us.  So rather than fool ourselves into thinking we can “get away from” what we consider “bad elements”, we need to do our due diligence to help rehabilitate our incarcerated so that they can rejoin society as productive citizens.  And that starts with education.

With the marijuana debate leaning more toward nationwide legalization every day, we very possibly might see a major overturning of long sentences in the near future.  ARE WE PREPARED TO SEE 30,000 OF OUR INCARCERATED RETURNED TO SOCIETY?  What programs are available where you live?  Our communities need to have this discussion, and we need to mobilize those with resources and influence to ensure that the proper facilities are in place so that, if and when that day comes that sizable numbers of former inmates come home, they will have everything they need to help them STAY home.

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