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Several decades ago I was a new researcher in the federal prison system. Our offices were down the hall from the medical clinic. I often overheard conversations between inmates. One day I overheard one inmate say to another: "If I have to come back, I'd prefer to come here over any other facility I have been to. "If I weren't in prison, the conversation could have been one of two individuals comparing the quality of different hotels. But it wasn't. This conversation was an eye-opener for me, new to prisons. The message was that these individuals fully expected that they might be returning to prison and talked about this in a very casual way, as if this were normal. Why would someone expect to come back to prison? Now, after all my years of experience in prisons, I know that recidivism is a very complex issue but that employment is a key factor. How many people do we imprison in this country? In 2006 we had more than 2.2 million individuals in prison. Putting this in context, we have the highest incarceration rate in the world. The U.S. incarceration rate is 4 to 7 times higher than other western nations. Our incarceration rate is 738 individuals per 100,000. The country with the next highest incarceration rate -- 607 -- is the Russian Federation! Research shows that incarceration rates are not correlated with crime rates. Our prison population tripled between 1980 and 1996. Most of this was a direct result of changes in sentencing laws where offenders are now serving greater amounts of time. Our large prison population has, in recent years, led to the tremendous interest in reentry. What do we do with all those prisoners who are now being released? Nationwide, more than 650,000 are being released each year. Those concerned with prisoner re-entry note that one of the biggest problems faced by ex-offenders is finding a job after release. Locally, there is a group working on helping ex-offenders re-enter the community. I recently attended a meeting organized by Community Success Initiative, a nonprofit founded by an ex-offender. One of its goals is to help ex-offenders transition back to the community. In Orange County, volunteers, in collaboration with supportive staff at Orange Correctional Institution, are taking steps to help offenders successfully reintegrate into the community. I wish others in the community could have been there to learn firsthand about the obstacles that ex-offenders face. One could have also witnessed the dedication of ex-offenders in helping others who will soon be released. One successfully employed ex-offender came from Winston-Salem to the meeting in Hillsborough. He had had encouragement from Orange County volunteers before release and now wants to support others about to be released. He told me of his difficulties in finding a job. It took three months after release from prison to find a job. He experienced many rejections because of his criminal record. He survived without an income for those initial months only because he had saved money from a work release job. His first job did not provide a livable wage. He earned $7 per hour as an electrical helper in a job far from home. The best he could do for a first job close to home was as a dishwasher. He feels fortunate because his employer believed in providing education. He decided he wanted to learn how to cook and began asking questions and helping the cooks. Because he took initiative he eventually became a cook. He is now a chef with a livable wage and plans on sending his children to college. While he is doing well, what will happen to the others, who will soon be released from prison? Another person at the meeting has been in prison nine years and was incarcerated at age 19. He is worried about finding a job because he has no job history and he will be an ex-offender. I know that many of my friends and acquaintances say they would not take a chance on hiring an ex-offender. But if nobody takes a chance, what will the ex-offenders do? We will continue to spend tax dollars to incarcerate individuals and they will not become productive members of our community. And what will happen to their families? We are spending an average of $22,000 per year to incarcerate individuals. This is more than the yearly cost for a student to attend UNC. I'd rather spend tax dollars on education. Some major cities such as Boston, San Francisco and Minneapolis have taken bold steps. They "ban the box" on initial job applications asking about criminal convictions. Fortunately, there are some employers in this community willing to take a chance with ex-offenders. Hopefully others can join them. Bernadette Pelissier is a retired social scientist who lives in Orange County and serves on several community boards. Readers can contact her at bpelissier@juno.com or c/o The Chapel Hill Herald, 106 Mallette St., Chapel Hill, NC 27516. Author: BERNADETTE PELISSIER Columnist Copyright, 2007, The Durham Herald Company |
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