Prison is a place where the first prisoner you see looks like an all American college boy and you're surprised.
Later you're disgusted because people on the outside still have the same prejudices about prisoners that you used to have.
Prison is a place where you write letters and can't think of anything to say; where you gradually write fewer and fewer letters and finally stop writing all together.
Prison is a place where you learn that nobody needs you, that the outside world goes on without you.
Prison is a place where you are smarter than the parole board because you know which guys will go straight and which ones won't. You're wrong just as often as they are, but you never admit it and neither do they.
Prison is a place where you see men that you do not admire and wonder if you are like them.
The previous is part of a poem anonymously submitted from a California prisoner. A poem which powerfully captures emotion and point of view from anyone that could be stuck in the California prison system.
It is no secret the California prison system is broken. In fact California spends more on correction than any other state, ten percent of the general fund according to Senator Mark Leno during a joint Public Safety Hearing on Reducing Prison Recidivism.
The answer to reducing recidivism and lowering spending on prisons all together is not the answer people want to hear. But people need to hear it: We need to give more to prisons now to in turn give less to them later.
The satisfaction:
By spending more on prisoner education programs it will reduce recidivism, reduce prison population and reduce crime rates. This is beneficial to public safety and also promotes prison safety, not to mention advantages for inmates and their families.
The Need:
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation places the average inmate reading level at 7th grade. Jody Lewen, executive director of the Prison University Project, believes it is lower. In fact she also believes an inmate having 7th grade reading, writing, and math skills are an exception. Seventy percent of inmates released from prisons are functionally illiterate; this leaves them with barely enough skills to get a job, let alone keep one. After the first 18 months 75 percent of released inmates are unemployed and 70 percent of them return to prison. In total there are roughly 170,000 inmates in California and to house one inmate for one year it costs $46,000.
You do the math.
The Prison University Project is a volunteer based program at San Quentin State Prison. According to the Prison University project newsletter the program offers 12 classes each semester in humanities, math, physical and social sciences as well as college prep classes and pre-release academic advising. Furthermore, the program receives no state or federal funding, inmates are loaned text books which are all donated from publishers.
Larry King asked Jody Lewen what surprised her most about being a teacher at San Quentin after she began, she replied, "The normalcy of the students, of the people here...I mean there's something very jarring about the realization that there are so many compassionate, intelligent creative people inside. I think that was disturbing."
Unfortunately the Prison University Project is the only one of its kind. Funding will have to come from somewhere in order to implement other projects at other prisons around the state. One prison trying to make a difference is not enough. "Out of all the forms of correctional education the strongest gains come from post secondary education. Twice a great of a chance of not going back to prison," said Jonathan Simon from the Berkeley Center for Criminal Justice.
Prison is a Place where the system is blamed for draining state funds, contributing to an already taxed budget crisis, and not even rehabilitating the inmates it houses. In order for these men and women stuck in the California State Prison system to return to be functioning members of society, they need to be educated. Fixing a problem is always better than ignoring it.
Later you're disgusted because people on the outside still have the same prejudices about prisoners that you used to have.
Prison is a place where you write letters and can't think of anything to say; where you gradually write fewer and fewer letters and finally stop writing all together.
Prison is a place where you learn that nobody needs you, that the outside world goes on without you.
Prison is a place where you are smarter than the parole board because you know which guys will go straight and which ones won't. You're wrong just as often as they are, but you never admit it and neither do they.
Prison is a place where you see men that you do not admire and wonder if you are like them.
The previous is part of a poem anonymously submitted from a California prisoner. A poem which powerfully captures emotion and point of view from anyone that could be stuck in the California prison system.
It is no secret the California prison system is broken. In fact California spends more on correction than any other state, ten percent of the general fund according to Senator Mark Leno during a joint Public Safety Hearing on Reducing Prison Recidivism.
The answer to reducing recidivism and lowering spending on prisons all together is not the answer people want to hear. But people need to hear it: We need to give more to prisons now to in turn give less to them later.
The satisfaction:
By spending more on prisoner education programs it will reduce recidivism, reduce prison population and reduce crime rates. This is beneficial to public safety and also promotes prison safety, not to mention advantages for inmates and their families.
The Need:
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation places the average inmate reading level at 7th grade. Jody Lewen, executive director of the Prison University Project, believes it is lower. In fact she also believes an inmate having 7th grade reading, writing, and math skills are an exception. Seventy percent of inmates released from prisons are functionally illiterate; this leaves them with barely enough skills to get a job, let alone keep one. After the first 18 months 75 percent of released inmates are unemployed and 70 percent of them return to prison. In total there are roughly 170,000 inmates in California and to house one inmate for one year it costs $46,000.
You do the math.
The Prison University Project is a volunteer based program at San Quentin State Prison. According to the Prison University project newsletter the program offers 12 classes each semester in humanities, math, physical and social sciences as well as college prep classes and pre-release academic advising. Furthermore, the program receives no state or federal funding, inmates are loaned text books which are all donated from publishers.
Larry King asked Jody Lewen what surprised her most about being a teacher at San Quentin after she began, she replied, "The normalcy of the students, of the people here...I mean there's something very jarring about the realization that there are so many compassionate, intelligent creative people inside. I think that was disturbing."
Unfortunately the Prison University Project is the only one of its kind. Funding will have to come from somewhere in order to implement other projects at other prisons around the state. One prison trying to make a difference is not enough. "Out of all the forms of correctional education the strongest gains come from post secondary education. Twice a great of a chance of not going back to prison," said Jonathan Simon from the Berkeley Center for Criminal Justice.
Prison is a Place where the system is blamed for draining state funds, contributing to an already taxed budget crisis, and not even rehabilitating the inmates it houses. In order for these men and women stuck in the California State Prison system to return to be functioning members of society, they need to be educated. Fixing a problem is always better than ignoring it.
I think this column - with editing - is publishable commercially as an op-ed or guest commentary.
ReplyDeleteWhy?
Well, because the topic is timely and hits two very hot buttons: compassion and finance.
Beginning with the poem is strong and clever, but needs more explanation about where and when... It was submitted anonymously, but to whom? And where, etc...
If it was to the prison project, fine... but it needs to be stated.
That would also fix the structural problem. The Prison Project needs to appear much earlier in the column to make it all work... The compelling stats would then fit much better.
A 7th grade education (maybe?) that is a shocker...
Nicely done.