4-15-2009 Indiana:
Indianapolis would spend more than $1.5 million in economic stimulus funds on prisoner education and re-entry services under a proposal unveiled Monday.
The proposal -- part of the city's plan for using $6.4 million earmarked for law enforcement activities -- calls for hiring 200 ex-convicts in temporary jobs at the Indianapolis Department of Public Works.
"We have 5,000 people coming into our community every year" after their release from the Indiana Department of Correction, said David Wu, policy director for Mayor Greg Ballard. "If you don't work to keep them from re-offending, they are going to clog the criminal justice system."
The proposal also calls for spending about $1.3 million to upgrade the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department's automated fingerprinting system, which Wu said will become obsolete by this fall.
"They had to replace it one way or another," Wu said.
The spending plan was introduced at Monday's City-County Council meeting. The council is expected to vote on the plan May 2.
President Barack Obama announced last month that Indiana would receive more than $35 million for law enforcement activities. The money can be used to hire officers and pay for initiatives such as drug and gang task forces, crime prevention and domestic violence programs.
Wu said Indianapolis' goal was to spread the money around the justice system. Another part of the proposal includes spending $575,000 to build two new juvenile reception centers like one operating on the Northeastside.
(eAdvocate Post)
The centers are diversion programs that keep young offenders accused of minor crimes, such as truancy or shoplifting, out of the juvenile courts, where treatment programs and housing become more costly.
Other spending includes $580,000 on a nurse and substance abuse services for Community Corrections inmates; $103,000 on training for the Indianapolis Fire Department's Task Force One; and $319,000 to hire a contractor to manage grant requests and facilitate awards. ..News Source.. by Vic Ryckaert
April 15, 2009
IN- $1.5M of stimulus proposed for prisoner education, jobs
December 28, 2008
NC- Convicts deliver the inside scoop
12-28-2008 North Carolina:
The N&O lately has echoed with the clanks, squeaks and backfires of a struggling probation system. Not surprising was that, when Correction Secretary Theodis Beck in a letter to the editor offered his take -- calling for more people to be locked up -- a Central Prison inmate had an insightful response.
We published that response last Sunday. Robert A. Odom, serving life without parole for murder, argued eloquently in his letter for the kind of intervention and support that can save young people before they descend into a life of crime.
Inmates have contributed perhaps a couple hundred among the 16,000-plus letters we've received this year. Some of their letters have made the grade to run, but many were too long, too uncheckable, too narrowly focused. Those that appear to be candidates for follow-up by the news department get passed along to news folks.
As an experiment, I set aside an informal sample of this year's inmate letters that we didn't use. If we North Carolinians are serious about cutting down on crime, we could do worse than lend an ear to these "experts" for the occasional nuggets of wisdom they provide. And sometimes, an inmate will point to a situation that deserves to be looked into. Here's a synopsis from my sample:
* Errol Duke Moses, Central Prison (Death Row), undated. Asks for investigation regarding two murders he "did not commit."
* Rayford L. Burke, Central Prison (Death Row), April 13. Wants helps exposing "intentional injustice being done to me by the system."
* Steven Williams, Harnett Correctional Institution, undated. Discusses failure of the state's prisons to rehabilitate; cites "biased and hateful treatment by correctional staff" during family visits.
* Ronald Nobles, Pamlico Correctional Institution, undated. "Our prisons are full because once you are incarcerated, you are here to stay for an unreasonably long time, thereby not giving you a chance at life again."
* Raymond Cobb, Tillery Correctional Unit, May 19. "North Carolina's prison system is designed for failure with its very poor prison-to-street transitional methods; you serve anywhere from two to 50 years without work release [and] you get kicked out of prison with $45."
* Kenneth Ray Lawson, Eastern C.I., Maury, May 16. "More prisons and longer sentences are not the answer. Prevention, intervention, education and yes even reduced sentences could be some of the solutions."
* Frank Brunson, Harnett C.I., undated. Once an inmate is released, he "diligently seeks out employment only to have the door shut in his face because of his prior criminal history. ... What good is a degree or a vocational skill if an inmate, now free, can't use it to support himself?"
* Arthur J. Hill, Harnett C.I., June 14. "Prisons are multi-million if not multi-billion dollar business. If recidivism was to decrease somebodies would lose a lot of money."
* Grady Wyatt, Lumberton C.I., June 29. Prisons exploit both taxpayers and inmates, who work for a net of $0.70 a day; he outlines a "crime deterrent" contract for inmates being released.
* Reggie Woodard, Lanesboro C.I., undated. Asserts his rights were violated after he filed grievances against prison officials.
* Matthew W. Dickens Jr., Tyrrell Prison Work Farm, July 11. Says he has a plan to prevent crime. "All I am asking for is a pardon, and worthy compensation from the state of N.C. when my plan bears fruit."
* John W. Hampton, Central Prison, July 16. Writing "to let everyone know that we are being treated like animals behind these walls"; letter also signed by 14 other inmates.
* James Evans, Odom Prison, undated. Expresses pride as a black person in Obama election victory; says newspapers were withheld at the prison the day after the election.
* Thomas Najewicz, Nash C.I., Dec. 17. "Increased participation in work release programs will lower recidivism by giving ex-offenders a fighting chance to successfully reintegrate into society."
* Othello I. York, Hyde C.I., Dec. 7. Complains about unfairness of prison cell phone ban, in light of high costs of prison pay phones and the benefits to inmates of staying in touch with families.
Prison inmates likely have done some pretty bad things, perhaps hurt or even killed someone. A cell may be where they belong. But most eventually will be released. I think it's part of the paper's duty to help ensure their fair treatment, to help them give "customer feedback" to the community that has to pay in so many ways when the criminal justice system malfunctions.
We might rather they be out of sight and out of mind, but it's not that simple. Better to listen and try to learn. ..News Source.. by Editorial page editor Steve Ford can be reached at 919-829-4512 or at steve.ford@newsobserver.com
February 28, 2008
Pew Report Finds More than One in 100 Adults are Behind Bars
2-28-2008 National:
Washington, DC - 02/28/2008 - For the first time in history more than one in every 100 adults in America are in jail or prison—a fact that significantly impacts state budgets without delivering a clear return on public safety. According to a new report released today by the Pew Center on the States’ Public Safety Performance Project, at the start of 2008, 2,319,258 adults were held in American prisons or jails, or one in every 99.1 men and women, according to the study. During 2007, the prison population rose by more than 25,000 inmates. In addition to detailing state and regional prison growth rates, Pew’s report, One in 100: Behind Bars in America 2008, identifies how corrections spending compares to other state investments, why it has increased, and what some states are doing to limit growth in both prison populations and costs while maintaining public safety.
As prison populations expand, costs to states are on the rise. Last year alone, states spent more than $49 billion on corrections, up from $11 billion 20 years before. However, the national recidivism rate remains virtually unchanged, with about half of released inmates returning to jail or prison within three years. And while violent criminals and other serious offenders account for some of the growth, many inmates are low-level offenders or people who have violated the terms of their probation or parole.
“For all the money spent on corrections today, there hasn’t been a clear and convincing return for public safety,” said Adam Gelb, director of the Public Safety Performance Project. “More and more states are beginning to rethink their reliance on prisons for lower-level offenders and finding strategies that are tough on crime without being so tough on taxpayers.”
According to the report, 36 states and the Federal Bureau of Prisons saw their prison populations increase in 2007. Among the seven states with the largest number of prisoners—those with more than 50,000 inmates—three grew (Ohio, Florida and Georgia), while four (New York, Michigan, Texas and California) saw their populations dip. Texas surpassed California as the nation’s prison leader following a decline in both states’ inmate populations—Texas decreased by 326 inmates and California by 4,068. Ten states, meanwhile, experienced a jump in inmate population growth of 5 percent or greater, a list topped by Kentucky with a surge of 12 percent.
A close examination of the most recent U.S. Department of Justice data (2006) found that while one in 30 men between the ages of 20 and 34 is behind bars, the figure is one in nine for black males in that age group. Men are still roughly 13 times more likely to be incarcerated, but the female population is expanding at a far brisker pace. For black women in their mid- to late-30s, the incarceration rate also has hit the one-in-100 mark. In addition, one in every 53 adults in their 20s is behind bars; the rate for those over 55 is one in 837.
The report points out the necessity of locking up violent and repeat offenders, but notes that prison growth and higher incarceration rates do not reflect a parallel increase in crime, or a corresponding surge in the nation’s population at large. Instead, more people are behind bars principally because of a wave of policy choices that are sending more lawbreakers to prison and, through popular “three-strikes” measures and other sentencing laws, imposing longer prison stays on inmates.
As a result, states’ corrections costs have risen substantially. Twenty years ago, the states collectively spent $10.6 billion of their general funds—their primary discretionary dollars—on corrections. Last year, they spent more than $44 billion in general funds, a 315 percent jump, and more than $49 billion in total funds from all sources. Coupled with tightening state budgets, the greater prison expenditures may force states to make tough choices about where to spend their money. For example, Pew found that over the same 20-year period, inflation-adjusted general fund spending on corrections rose 127 percent while higher education expenditures rose just 21 percent.
“States are paying a high cost for corrections—one that may not be buying them as much in public safety as it should. And spending on prisons may be crowding out investments in other valuable programs that could enhance a state’s economic competitiveness,” said Susan K. Urahn, managing director of the Pew Center on the States. “There are other choices. Some state policy makers are experimenting with a range of community punishments that are as effective as incarceration in protecting public safety and allow states to put the brakes on prison growth.”
According to Pew, some states are attempting to protect public safety and reap corrections savings primarily by holding lower-risk offenders accountable in less-costly settings and using intermediate sanctions for parolees and probationers who violate conditions of their release. These include a mix of community-based programs such as day reporting centers, treatment facilities, electronic monitoring systems and community service—tactics recently adopted in Kansas and Texas. Another common intervention, used in Kansas and Nevada, is making small reductions in prison terms for inmates who complete substance abuse treatment and other programs designed to cut their risk of recidivism.
Pew was assisted in collecting state prison counts by the Association of State Correctional Administrators and the JFA Institute. The report also relies on data published by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Association of State Budget Officers, and the U.S. Census Bureau. ..more.. by Pew
