Formerly Incarcerated and Voting

The 2016 election campaign drama reminds me of what I used to tell the prisoners when they said their family  did not vote since their social situations never changed - no matter who won the election.  I would respond that if their family members did not vote, then   the voters would always be the winners. I  urged them to encourage family members to vote because that at least meant they had a seat at the table, even if  sometimes their party of choice did not win.

• America’s Slave Empire

·        America’s Slave Empire Posted on Jun 21, 2015 By Chris Hedges

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/americas_slave_empire_20150621America's slave Empire

Dictionaries for Prisoners

Dictionaries are among  the most requested items  from prisoners. This is important because many inmates come to prison illiterate.  The dictionaries help them with spelling, grammar, and the meaning of words when they write to family members on the outside, or as they try to get their GED.   This year, Safe Street Arts   is collecting dictionaries for indigent inmates.  Check their website at:   www.SafeStreetsArts.org

Sending prisoners to college will save you money

Interesting article in Newsday on college and prisoners.  Even more interesting are the controversial comments on the topic. Check out the comments on the article.

http://www.newsday.com/opinion/oped/sending-prisoners-to-college-will-save-you-money-lois-davis-and-jennifer-steele-1.7658934

 

 

Criminal Justice Collaboration

 Many organizations and groups  that work for or with prisoners or ex offenders operate in silo,  duplicating efforts as they seek funds for doing almost the same thing.  We spend more  on Public Safety than education. (Approx.  $12,000 - education and $30,000- $60,000 for incarceration) 

It is great therefore to see some collaborative effort: Second Chance Mental Health Collaboration  

http://csgjusticecenter.org/nrrc/announcements/second-chance-act-and-justice-and-mental-health-collaboration-program-conferences-convene-this-week/

in an upcoming workshop.  We should remember that for every one incarcerated or denied employment because of their criminal past, there is loss of another possible taxpayer.

Ex Felons and Voting

The Supreme Court recently stated  Maryland's prisoners for census purposes should be counted at that their last address, instead of the prisons where they are housed.  Approx. 75% of Maryland's prisoners are from Baltimore  city and Prince Georges County. See Washington Times article. California, Delaware, and New York, and Maryland up to this point, are the only states that allow this.


States and ex felons voting status.     Rock The Vote site : http://www.rockthevote.com/election-center/voting-ex-felon/

Liberal Arts Classes in Prisons

The years I worked in prisons and with prisoners, opened my eyes to the necessity for community groups to go inside the fence to help show prisoners other ways than the path that led them to prison.

Traditionally outside help had a mainly religious focus.  It is encouraging more recently,  to see a broader spectrum of community support with programs that will broaden prisoners' experience and help direct  them to be more successful when they return to society. The Goucher Liberal Arts Program  reported in the Washington Post is showing inmates another way.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/selective-goucher-college-brings-liberal-arts-into-maryland-prisons/2013/12/02/a9b3a058-5772-11e3-ba82-16ed03681809_story.html

Safe Street Art

Funded by NEA and concerned citizens, the Safe Street art was established to help, create, and sell prison art.

According to the information on their site, while in prison, there is not much mentoring of prisoners to help prepare them for successful reentry.  They are located in Washington DC and seek volunteers. 
Their latest post highlighted the book by someone incarcerated for 38 years.
  See their post:

 

"Huck's Picks is written by Charles "Huck" Huckelberry who spent 38 years in prison before his recent release. He used his time on the inside very productively, honing his writing skills and accumulating numerous awards and honors. If you've seen our annual prisoner dramatizations at the Kennedy Center, you're familiar with some of his work".  Check out the Safe Street Art Website.  Safe Street Art 

http://www.safestreetsarts.org/

 

Conversations with a Prisoner

Going through my prison library journal, I came across this entry from the 90s.  One day I will include  it in the book that everyone is encouraging me to write.

 

JT the Prisoner

JeyT had tattoos all over his arms.  He said each one represented some philosophy, theology, or some girl he dated or with whom he was in love.

He said that among the many things he did for a living, he also did tattoos on people for $100 per hour. He cited doctors, lawyers, and other professionals among his customers.  “You just don’t see it because sometimes it’s a small symbol and it’s hidden.  Many people with tattoos wear long sleeves.  The heat from the sun will drain the dye, so it’s better to cover it. “

JT was an avid science fiction reader who declared that most of the books I had in the prison library,  were rereads for him.  He said on this day he would not borrow many books because he felt he was leaving soon.   I thought he was leaving for his freedom, but he said no, he was leaving for a state prison, and a long sentence.

I expressed surprise, when he informed me he had been in prison for 15 years.

‘You must like it, I said why you commit another offense to return.”   “No.” he said, “The prison system does not prepare you to go back into society.  You spend the greater part of your life in prison.  There everything is done for you.  People tell you what to do every step of the way. You don’t have to worry about rent or any other form of expense.  Then you are placed back in society.  You are confronted with the pressures, people’s behavior, expenses, and so many negative forces.  You were never taught or prepared to cope with these.  It is very easy to find the easiest way out.”

“You articulate the problems very well, so having identified them I expect you would have been one of those who could cope.”

He laughed. “The judge said the same thing, but you have to understand it is one thing articulating, it is another thing to actually deal with it.”

He would have continued, but it was time to go.  He had chosen to spend his allocated recreation time in the library, and now he must return to his cell.

Handel:Messiah and Prisoners

In 1742 Frederic Handel  composed the MESSIAH specifically  for 3 charity organizations, in Dublin, Ireland- Prisoners, Mercer Hospital, and Charitable Infirmary. The first performance was on April 13, 1742 since the composition was originally intended to be performed at  Easter.  With the money from the performance, it was reported that 142 indebted prisoners were released.

Maryland Prisoners and the Census

Maryland is the first state to record prisoners as residents of their last permanent address, according to The Baltimore Sun.  Maryland  prisoners can also vote.  Years ago, before this law, during the Family Literacy program that I initiated, I would take voter registration forms to the prisoners to give their families to encourage them to vote.  I would tell the prisoners that the best way to get changes they want, was to have their family go to the voting station and vote.  Now they can also exercise that option.

Prisoner on Book Discussion

One prisoner recently made the following comments.  "I really love the book discussions we have in the prison library.  You see, when we were on the street we have to show off that we were tough men.  We don't show our feelings. In here we read this book and find the character in the book has the sames issues we have.  It takes a  little while, but after a time the brothers  in the book discussion group  begin to open up.  Nobody is judging you  and we feel a little freer to explore our feelings since more or less we all share the same experience."
" It all happened in the library",  he said.

Prison Libraries on NPR

I was interviewed by Liane Hansen, of NPR.  She and her producer,  visited JCI,  one of the prisons that I supervise, and talked with some prisoners who were having a book discussion in the library. Inmates shared how the library was important in their daily life.   The program was aired on May 29, during the NPR  Weekend Edition 

 GLS in the parking lot of the Jessup Correctional Institution

Prisoners and Reentry

Today I heard of an inmate who was released after 38 years in prison.  He got $50.00.  He had no home, had lost contact with most of his family, and had no job prospect.

Prisoner's Feedback

 The Washington Post article    reminded me of my  archive of stuff(last accessed about 8 years ago when I was getting rid of accumulated papers).   Among them was my occasional  prison  journal, and the appreciative  notes prisoners sent me even after I left the system.  Inmates used scraps of paper or cardboard boxes to write notes or  to make greeting cards.  Two years after I left the state prison libraries to return to public libraries, I received a package at the library address. Contents- a beautiful drawing of the Jamaican flag glued on cardboard.  Attached to the card was a note from another prisoner.   The artist always insisted that I should not call him an inmate.  He was a " prisoner".    The back side of the note  was a typewritten directive from the captain's office.  - December 24, 1993-  PASS LIST FOR VOLLEY BALL GAME.  ... Please allow the below listed men to report to the gym when called for.... I had no idea what the Washington Post Interview would be about, so I went into my prison file, and pulled out this one - from 1994!!!

Prison Writings

Many individuals are curious about the life of inmates, so I will list  a few  of the books books that I have read by and about prisoners. There are many more.  These just came to mind. I will add from time to time.

• Crazy: A Father's Search Through America's Mental Health Madness. Pete Earley (The journalist, whose son suffers from mental illness states that "Our Nation's prisons have become our new mental hospitals")
• Eager Street: A Life on the Corner and Behind Bars, by Arlando "Tray" Jones.  Tray is an inmate in one of Maryland's prisons.  He details his life selling drugs in Baltimore, where by age 14, he was the trigger man for a drug dealer. ( I never get curious about the crimes of any of my patrons, so this book was an eye opener)  Tray got his degree in prison.
• A Place to Stand. Jimmy Santiago Baca. (Baca taught himself to read and write)
• Prison Stories. Seth Ferranti
• Prison Writings: My Life is My Sun  Dance, by Leonard Peltier (Native American)
• Willow in a Storm: a Memoir, James Peter Taylor & Kathleen Murphy-Taylor (After over 40 years in prison, the  69 year old parolee married his social worker in 1996)

Pre release Inmates in Mobile Unit

Prisons and the Mentally Ill

Many reports say that a disproportionate numbers of inmates have mental illness. This article from the LA Times supports this. Holidays are particularly difficult for the inmates because they miss family. However, some of them from the prison, do things to give back to society. See some good stories Dept. of Public Safety in Maryland

Conversation With A Prisoner

Yesterday I visited one of the prisons. At the magazine section, an inmate clerk sat reading his Bible. Another inmate approached holding out the Jet Magazine. The inmate clerk, took the magazine, placed it back on the shelf, returned the inmate's ID, and placed a check mark on his list to indicate the magazine was returned.

I greeted him, asked him about usage of the magazines and books on tapes, then asked him how much longer before he returned to society. He said 1 year,. I asked what he was doing to prepare himself for a successful reentry.

He listed them - drug treatment, anger management, school, parenting sessions, life skills. Then he said, " I have been in and out of jail, several times, high on cocaine. I hurt my mother, who is a Christian woman, and my little brother, who also did drugs, but imagine now is a store Manager for... and sends me money. My baby brother! I am 55 years old, and I know that I am no longer willing to live the life that kept me high on cocaine. Sometimes I made my mother promises, but I was too high to even remember. Now I read my Bible, and I know when I get out there, I will be a changed man."

"You better keep that promise. If you leave here I dont want to see you back." I said. He laughed. "You don't have to worry about that."

I went to another prison. As the inmate saw me, he went for an extremely thick file. telling me he had appealed every condition of his sentence. He says he has been wrongly incarcerated. He showed me news clippings about a policeman who lied saying he plans to use this to bolster his defense. He is convinced he will leave prison in a few months. I asked him what he is doing to prepare himself for a successful reentry. He said he had a corportation. I remembered him from another prison 18 years ago. His story has not changed.

Prisoners going home

In maximum security correctional facilities, prisoners are interested in legal materials because they want to get back to the courts to get sentence reduction. As they advance to lesser security, they desire information to get them transition back into the community.ala/olos

They want information on relationship, career, housing, social services, getting back with their family, getting their GED, etc. Many experience difficulty when they get out. http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/national/2007/12/06/the-ex-con-next-door.html?PageNr=1

I am very proud of our recent acquisition in Maryland Correctional Education libraries. - a bookmobile that will have computers to teach Internet skills, and have books on the trades as well as the information to help the inmate. I will be working collaboratively with the transition coordinator, who will ensure that an instructor comes on board to teach employability skills. This bookmobile will go to the pre lease centers and the inmates who are within 6 months of returning to the community, will have priority.

Our inmates do not have direct access to the Internet, but librarians do have access. We have developed a web site with reentry information