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| Veteran prisons pave path to re-entry |
| By progress-index.com - Sameer Kamal |
| Published: 05/07/2013 |
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NEW YORK - Every day at 8:15 a.m. at the Haynesville Correctional Center in Virginia, incarcerated veterans gather in their dormitory dayroom for their morning briefing, much the way they did in the military. Brian Pitts, 50, a former soldier and current inmate, serves as the prison's inspiration coordinator. A history buff, Pitts likes to provide quotes from famous military leaders to set the tone for the day. One of his favorites: "The decisions we make in life today will ultimately dictate our future." The veterans' dorm emulates the army structure, with a chain-of-command and inmates given responsibilities like facility maintenance and keeping areas in compliance. Living with a group of veterans who underwent military training is a stark contrast from living with the general population where inmates are young and "bouncing off the walls," Pitts said in a phone interview from prison. "What this program tries to promote is that at one time, we were responsible not just for ourselves but for our country and we have to understand that - what we once upon a time represented." The Virginia dorm is one of a handful in at least four states with a similar unit aimed at reducing the recidivism rate among veterans, each with extra support for mental health disorders that often lead to crime. About 9 percent of prisoners in the U.S. are veterans, according to Margaret Noonan, a statistician with the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Justice Statistics. Read More. |
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