|
|
| Your Call 12/11/06 update |
| By Our Readers |
| Published: 12/11/2006 |
Editor's Note: The increase in reader feedback and input encouraged us a few months back to create “Your Call,” a venue for our readers to see what others are thinking. As you might have seen, we've added a Reader Feedback link at the end of each article to make it easier to send us your thoughts. Thanks again for your contribution and please keep the commentary coming. Jim Corrections.com News Editor Comments from 11/1 to 12/8 Since our last “Your Call” readers have been debating a variety of topics, but much of your feedback was in response Piggy Bank Blues, 11/15/06 Good Intentions? “There is an old saying: "The road to Hell is paved with good intentions." But in this case I believe the only 'good intentions' is for the interest DOC will receive from the savings extracted from the inmates. What happens to the funds of inmates sentenced to 10 years that die the ninth? The 20% is nothing short of wrong.” JS Hardship “I think the idea has some merit, but the method of collection stinks. I am one of these family members that sends money to a loved one in a Missouri prison and I sure do hope this law doesn't catch on. So far, I have spent thousands on an attorney, hundreds sent to my son's prison account, and dollars more on other various charges incurred from traveling to the prison and accepting phone calls. That is a bad enough hardship for any medium-to-low income family trying to survive without help from the breadwinner who is locked up, but to take money from the prisoner that was meant for their purchase of necessities is just one more excuse to rob families who are already having trouble making ends meet. Instead of thinking of more ways to gouge families who are trying to show the needed support of the loved one locked up, why don't people think of a way that benefits everyone? Thanks for providing a chance to respond to this article. I hope it makes these politicians rethink their plan and come up with a better way to fund this idea.” DO, KCMO For Shame “I am completely opposed to this legislation. Families of inmates already sacrifice more than imaginable for choosing to continue to support a family member in prison. They do this because they love their relative and they are aware that the best chance that family member has to make a change in his or her life is the support of loved ones on the outside while they are incarcerated and after they are released. Once again families are hit hard and penalized mercilessly for a crime they did not commit and because of their love. Shame on you, Politicians! You have no idea of reality with regard to incarceration! JC, Jobsite Administrator Hensel Phelps Construction Co., MRO Transformation Program Charging the families “This is charging the families for the crime and the inmate is already paying for the crime, plus the inmate has to contribute to the victims fund anyway, no mater what.” SW, Hilb, Rogal & Hobbs, OK Worth Pursuing “The idea of mandatory savings accounts for inmates is one worth pursuing because the absence of income upon release from prison is a major contributing factor to inmate recidivism. Moreover, most inmates have very little experience using commercial banks to meet their savings or money management needs. If inmates had a mandatory savings account and were taught how to manage it as well as other financial accounts (checking account, etc.) their integration into mainstream society might prove more successful. A. King, Associate Professor School of Social Work, Wayne State University We saw a lot of commentary in response to the recent editorial, “Cashing in on Corrections,” 11/27/06 Nothing New “This is nothing new. Incarceration has been a money making situation for years and years for a lot of people. If there wasn't so much money changing hands by keeping prisons beyond full I feel we could go back to our old system where inmates were incarcerated and then given a chance to get an education or get into some good drug and alcohol programs. Today this is not the goal of the politicians, or even some private citizens or larger companies that have been able to buy stock on different aspects of the corrections field. It is much more inviting to them to keep warehousing people and building more prisons for their own personal gain financially. The middle class taxpayer is really the one footing the bill but it is kept well hidden from the general public. There is too much money being made off these people staying in prison, especially the older "model prisoner that is no longer a problem to care for, and that is why the prisons all over the country are overcrowded and the states are carrying the financial burden. Yes people are going to continue to get rich off the prison systems as they are today....it will go on till someone steps up and replaces this money making industry with what it was meant to be....a way for an inmate to be rehabilitated and hopefully rebuild his life. LR No problem with people making money, but This is a subject I've been railing against for years. Thank God someone finally put it in writing. The profits made by the private prison companies are only part of the story. Since private corporations have a responsibility to their stock holders to make money first and foremost, many things are overlooked by them. I have no problem with people making money, I am in fact a born capitalist. However, I have to wonder how many of our legislators, police, judges, prosecutors, etc. are invested in these places and does their investment color their judgment somewhat. I do know that the former Governor of OK, Frank Keating was heavily invested in the private prison system. Seems a bit of a conflict of interest. Oklahoma is still the only state that the Governor has to sign before a man can be paroled. There were few men paroled during his tenure. We are constantly being asked to give more money to the prison system and the tab is already in excess of $408mil. Add to this the money made from commissary, phone calls (that can be up to $30 per call), money made from inmates working (the state makes a good bit on that), items sold to the public that are made in prison, i.e. uniforms, furniture, etc. Someone should investigate and explain to the public why we're being soaked for someone else to make a bundle. Of the 23,000+ inmates in OK prisons, 14,000+ are non-violent and could be released on a GPS monitor for $3.48 per day that they could work and pay for themselves. There are only 3 people who have not been successful at this program. The only reason we have so many men in prison is because the state and the investors are making a fortune off of it. CP Struggling for money “I think private corrections corporations are the main reason states are struggling for money for the Department of Corrections. These companies continue to go to the state over and over again asking for more money to hire guards, while they are profiting from inmate phone calls, inmate canteen and visitations. It's disheartening when a system that was designed for reform and rehabilitation becomes a money-making giant. The focus becomes more about the almighty dollar than the inmate being rehabilitated. My question is; What is DOC allowing these private companies to do that the DOC themselves are not doing and causing such a need for money?'” SC Sex Offender City , 11/29/06, , where reporter Sarah Etter discusses how new county laws could push sex offenders into exile, also generated many responses. Establishing a pattern “I currently work in a Juvenile Detention Center. We house sex offenders and they always seem to be coming back time after time. I really think that sex offenders should remained detained in some way, due to them going back out and committing the same crime, but each time it gets a little worse. > Most of our Juveniles have been sexually abused in the past. As a society are we establishing a pattern by letting them go out and keep committing the crime of sexual abuse? I personally don't think a sex offender should ever be put back into society whether it is a Juvenile or an Adult. PW in AL Feeding on sensationalism and fear “These residency restriction laws create more problems than they solve. They are a result of fear based on ignorance. When politicians and community leaders vocalize these ideas, they sound appealing to the community. When most people hear the term “sex offender,” their minds conjure up this image of a monster. People want sex offenders to be monsters. Unfortunately, the system labels them all as predatory offenders simply because they are required to register as a result of their conviction. Many convicted offenders are not predatory. They are simply people who used poor judgment and violated boundaries. RRLs are not going to prevent sexual abuse from occurring. They are nothing more than a panacea. Members of a community relying on RRLs place their faith in the law and the enforcement of it. While they are relying on legislation and public officials to keep them and their families safe, they become complacent to the sexual behavior going on around them. Registration requirements also amount to nothing more than a way of giving the public a false sense of security. The burden for following registration requirements is placed solely on the offender. If the offender chooses not to comply, no one knows his/her whereabouts until they turn up through some type of police contact. Perhaps it is time to look at extended periods of probation supervision in which part of the registration requirement is to check in with a PO on a regular basis and, allowing the PO to verify information provided by the offender. As corrections officials, we need to be doing a better job of educating the public about sex offenders and addressing their concerns. Having worked with a sex offender caseload for five years in a community setting, I have experienced first hand the difficulties in finding housing for offenders and addressing the concerns of community members who are frightened because a convicted offender is moving into their neighborhood. Some of those same citizens who are fearful of the offender moving in regularly associate with other convicted sex offenders and are absolutely clueless as to the offender's status. When we live in a sexually saturated culture it's difficult for the average person to determine what type of behavior is predatory and what is not. We don't use our media wisely. We feed on the sensationalism and the fear created by news reports of the horrific things happening in our communities. Perhaps it's time we begin to use our media to educate the public about sex offenders and how to develop healthy relationships so we have less criminal sexual conduct. RS, Senior Corrections Agent in MN Comments from week of 10/30/06 Trying to move forward Since being in law enforcement for over the last 17 years my views have evolved toward incarceration. As I see day after day, state by state, tell their stories of overcrowding and budget concerns, I truly feel we are in a time of change, but more so a time to be more proactive. What I mean when I say the word “proactive” is through better understanding in the re-entry of prisoners into the community. Programming is the key to a smoothly run facility. In fact with more programming, the prisoners can get the needed counseling they require to move toward the recovery and possibly their re-entry into society. Without state legislation allowing for the funds to provide for this funding (something each state lacks due to budgets) it seems to be more proactive in the fight against re-offending which in turn will save states millions of dollars in housing. However, change in the states must come with change within the correction foundation itself. Officers need the proactive training in dealing with prisoners and their needs individually. Old school corrections is just that - old. As far as I am concerned, most law enforcement officers want to know that they make a difference to better society by helping people change. More officers and commanding staff should be required to take interpersonal communications when dealing with prisoners. Out nation cannot afford to keep throwing billions of dollars away each year to house prisoners. There are alternatives to incarceration and the re-entry program proves that we as law enforcement individuals are trying to move forward. CC, Corrections Officer Human behavior ignored I believe that the continuing recidivism of criminal behaviour is due to the fact that the biological aspects of human behaviour is ignored by most psychologists. JP Learn and grow in their faith About a year ago, I had the opportunity to visit five Florida State prisons as part of an assessment team for Prison Industries. Our team consisted of four professionals with experience in corrections, from Washington state, Colorado, and two from Texas. We have been in several prisons across the country performing similar assessments and other work. We were duly impressed however, with one particular facility, the privately operated Bay Correctional Facility, in Panama City. We were impressed not because it was private, as we have been in many of them. But the characteristic that made this one stand out was the Christian influence obviously portrayed from the top down by example from the warden's personal walk through administrators, custody and program, and industries staff. The specific behavior management unit was impressive, where inmates learn social, moral, and ethical values that are changing their lives. Life principles are displayed on posters stating rules in citizenship, responsibility, respect and other essential objectives. The faith based housing units with bible studies and with the dog training program was also wonderful and refreshing to see. As we all know, our environment can shape our thinking, choices, and behavior. The theme carried into the education/vocational program areas where inmate art on the walls carried moral lessons and clear life choice messages. Again the staff swelled with enthusiasm for the subject mater and the mission of changing hearts and lives, this was also true for the industry program where the staff had true leadership quality and was exhorting the inmates to higher production by creating team spirit and friendly output competition. In short, the sharp contrast to traditional prison environment was what prompted us to awareness that this facility is obviously doing it right and is an exemplary program in which inmates truly have opportunities to change their lives. In these days when there is much discussion and focus on re-entry, I know that behavior is a direct outlet of what is in the heart. If more programs could be initiated where offenders could be truly repentant and learn and grow in their faith, then facilities could connect them with churches in the community that would help them continue their new ways, assisting them to get re-established in the community. We all know the tax burden of recidivism and the likelihood without hope, love, employment, and other support. This kind of thing is "what works", and it is also "best practices." Until we do more of this "stuff" we will keep building more beds, as recidivism continues to climb higher! KB Look North Leaders in American corrections would benefit from looking at what the Correctional Service of Canada has been doing for years with very significant success. DY Long overdue It is long overdue, to take responsibility in an intelligent and informed way, for the results of our disastrous "corrections" policies. I can't express it strongly enough. YES YES YES...let us DO SOMETHING that makes us safer. Another truth that never gets spoken. THEY are US! There are people in these prisons, and to pretend that they are some creepy incarnation of the devil is simply to not know of what you speak. You can see it EVERY single time there is a new person coming into the prisons I visit. When they leave, they are astounded that "these guys seem so normal." Let's face it, most of them are way more similar to us than they are different from us! SM Empathy breaks old patterns I applaud the inclusion of Emotional Intelligence in correctional training. Department of change, 10/25. Having successfully trained Parole Officers through Sociodrama, I have no doubt developing the emotional skills of officers will translate into safer prisons and jails as "empathy" breaks old patterns of thinking and behavior. Now, having worked with Juvenile Offenders in a school jail and expelled students in an alternative high school in New Orleans for four years, I can tell you that infusing Emotional Intelligence into the core curriculum can turn young people around. This was accomplished by integrating drama therapy strategies and techniques into team taught classroom instruction. In one semester we were able to return students to their sending schools with new attitudes and skills. By "making it emotional" and developing empathy, I believe we prevented many from reaching the prisons. Daniel Goleman has presented us with a book, a blueprint, for looking at each other differently. I encourage corrections to also look closely at Drama Therapy, which embraces similar beliefs, as a valuable source for programs that can treat, repair, and rehabilitate those who one day will hopefully re-enter society. Linda Gregoric Cook, RDT/BCT Past-President, The National Association for Drama Therapy Putting ourselves out of business I read the article "Department of Change" with great interest. I have stated for the past several years that the overall mission statement for any department of correction (if they are truly interested in performance measures) could be diluted to the following: “We are in business to put ourselves out of business!” The immediate reaction I receive from most of my peers/superiors in the industry and the offenders on my caseload is: “Stop talking pie in the sky!” My reaction is to continue to think about a world in which there is no need for prisons. It is a beautiful picture to imagine. And I continue to ask each offender that I come into contact with to please, “Do your small part to put me out of a job, and stay free from further crime.” JC, Indiana In response to “Snakes in a cell” 10/23/06 Cool, but Looks cool, but where I work their idea of a shakedown device is an inmate mirror taped to a yardstick..... TC In response the editor's comments in the 10/25 Corrections Connection ezine about corrections taking a more proactive in the community for post-release offenders. Empower prisoners Interesting but dangerous too we reckon. This has the potential to stretch control by Corrections into the community after release from prison. Monitor exprisoners behaviour and threaten their return unless full compliance. Much more important is for Corrections to acknowledge the need to empower both prisoners and exprisoners in their own expression. Stepping back, listening and letting their own communities be involved. Linking up support from other government departments to help the communities. Now that is a different headspace and limits the power and the budget of Corrections. Saves money and is rational. Works with people rather than trying the futile exercise of imposing and forcing people. Brett Collins Justice Action (acting coordinator) Australia |
Comments:
Login to let us know what you think
MARKETPLACE search vendors | advanced search
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
|
Waco has developed a reputation for a rocket-docket in patent litigation. It’s an important choice to find the right lawyer in Waco for your important patent litigation matter. When people in the know make the hire, they hire Dunnam & Dunnam. Lawyers that are competent, hard-working, focused are a rare find. Few attorneys have the commitment to quality, collegiality, and loyalty of the Waco truck accident attorney, You can search for attorneys with loyalty, leadership, accountability. These attorneys show financial generosity and a sense of fairness to their colleagues. For nearly 100 years, people in Waco have hired the firm when the results matter. at Dunnam & Dunnam are among the most respected in the Central Texas area. They have the experience in trials and mediations to guide your case in the right way. There are few important decisions at the outset of the case that can turn the tide in your favor. Choosing the right lawyer is one of them.