http://criminaljustice.change.org/blog/view/mad_as_hell_about_the_failed_us_prison_system

Mad As Hell About the Failed U.S. Prison System

by Michael Hamden

category: Prison Reform

Published March 10, 2010 @ 05:34AM PT

Yeah, I’m angry. I’m all riled up because our misguided criminal justice policies destroy individuals, families and entire communities. I’m steamed because at a time of financial crisis worse than any downturn since the Great Depression, government throws away billions of dollars (more than $39 billion, by most estimates) on policies that have proven to be abject failures. And I’m furious that people continue to call for ever harsher sentences, penalties and the further stigmatization of offenders in the face of overwhelming evidence that current practices are counter-productive and unsustainable.

It’s especially frustrating, because we know that there are more positive, effective means of holding criminals accountable that are far more successful and far less costly.

The insatiable desire for vengeance is itself mad! The statistics are stark, and by now familiar. The U.S. incarcerates more people than any other country in the world, whether you consider it in terms of a percentage of the population or in absolute numbers. Yes, more than South Africa during the years of apartheid. More than the Soviet Union before its dissolution. More than China. And more even than the brutal regime of North Korea. Shameful!

Roughly 2.4 million people are locked up in this country, many for nonviolent offenses. Some reports conclude that as many as 50% of federal prisoners are serving time for drug-related offenses. (In some future article, I’m sure I’ll get around to discussing the draconian drug laws that infringe personal liberty in this “land of the free,” but at the moment there are bigger fish to fry.)

It’s crazy! It costs an average of about $24,000 a year to lock somebody up. But years of experience, social science research and common sense all point to work, education and the strengthening of family and community ties as the best way to bring criminal offenders back into the fold. And after all, given that 95% of prisoners eventually return to our communities, shouldn’t that be our objective?

Prisoners are people just like us: sons and daughters, brothers and sisters and mothers and fathers of people we all know. And in case you don’t think you could possibly find yourself among them, staring out from a small, foul-smelling cell through cold steel bars, think again. There are more than 4,000 federal criminal laws, and vastly more federal regulations that can lead to criminal penalties. Additional laws and regulations at the state level mean that virtually everyone violates the law every day.

Don’t believe it? How ’bout on the highway? Your taxes? And, hey! Ever heard of the “honest services” law? Under that laudable piece of legislation, a person can be convicted and sentenced to prison for depriving another of “honest services.” (18 U.S.C. § 1346, just in case you’re doubtful.) What are “honest services,” you might well ask?  No one knows because the law doesn’t define them and the courts have yet to decide. The issue was heard by the Supreme Court on March 1 (Skiling v. U.S., Docket No. 08-1394), but at least until a decision is announced, don’t take anything home from your job.  Be sure to perform your work competently, and for goodness sake, be punctual. It simply wouldn’t do to be late for work or stay too long on a break. It might turn out to be criminal! So, be kind to your fine feathered friends. For a duck may turn out to be you!

We can find better ways to use $39 billion than locking people away for years at a time, especially when they pose little or no risk to the public. Instead, require the perpetrator to rectify the wrong done (if there was a wrong done). Surely crime victims are better served by being repaid for financial harms sustained or receiving compensation for injuries inflicted. Currently, they have to be content with the offender’s incarceration and an noncollectable restitution order. An offender who’s required to truly “pay” for the crime would be more likely to realize the error of his or her ways than someone who’s warehoused with more dangerous career criminals, and all without access to meaningful opportunities to work and gain an education.

Here’s an idea: Let’s reserve expensive prison cells for those who really must be punished harshly: people, that is, who pose too great a risk to public safety or social order. As for others, let’s see if we can get them to pay for their crimes in rational ways. If such an approach fails, it’s never too late to lock ‘em up. To me, that makes a lot more sense. But no politician has ever lost an election by advocating the criminalization of an ever-expanding range of conduct. To many of them, I suppose that abandoning such a potent political lever would seem insane.

Someone defined the term “crazy” as doing the same thing repeatedly, expecting a different result each time. We’d be crazy to continue the failed policies of the past. They simply cannot be sustained. Sooner or later, we’ll run out of money. (Oh, wait. We already have.)

 It’s 3:30 on Wednesday morning as I write this entry. I’m in the room where I begin every day, watching as Dave walks on the concrete pathway that leads to the Control Center of Taft Camp. Dave is being released from prison, and in a few hours the guards will finish processing him, allowing him to walk out of prison. I wonder whether he will succeed with his re-entry to society.

Last week Dave told me about his case. He was my age and he graduated with a degree in marketing from UCLA. For the past 20 years he had a career in advertising. But Dave developed the habit of using methamphetamine when he was in college, and despite his successful career as a corporate executive, he never stopped using meth.

Dave said that he would buy meth in small quantities a few times every month. He had been using the drug consistently, but insisted that he was a social user, not an addict because he was able to function. Dave’s problem with the law began when he made an introduction between two meth users. Although Dave did not profit from the introduction, he knew the two users he introduced would conduct drug deals. That knowledge made him part of a drug conspiracy, and after he was convicted, a judge sentenced Dave to serve two years on prison.

Dave’s problem with the criminal justice system had roots in his drug use. As a consequence of his conviction he lost his career, his home, his car, and everything he owned. Dave said that when he walked out of prison he wouldn’t have any money, any job prospects, or any idea where he would live. He said the corporate world would be closed to him forever because of his felony conviction, and Dave had no idea how he would establish himself when he returned to his Southern California community.

The most troubling aspect of Dave’s return to society was his reluctance to renounce drugs. He said that as a social user, he was capable of controlling his meth habit. I told him about all the people I’ve met in prison who made the same statement, but Dave insisted that he had been controlling his habit for 20 years.

When I hear stories like Dave’s I gain further clarity on why our prisons will always be full. The two years that Dave served in prison were likely the first step. I expect that he will face extreme difficulties in finding stability. Those challenges will lead to severe blows to his self esteem, and emotional disturbances will lead to increased drug use. The cycle of failure has just begun for Dave, and although he walks out of prison this morning, I expect he will return.

Later this morning, when the guards open the dormitory doors, I’ll go outside to exercise—a 10-mile run. I’m scheduled to speak at a high school with TOAD (our youth outreach program) later so I won’t include any strength training today.

[consecutive running log: 3,840 miles over the past 432 days]

Wednesday, 17 February 2010

http://criminaljustice.change.org/blog/view/in_one_prisoners_life_work_inspiration

Community Building

I don’t know how many of you remember studies of early Western Civilization, but on the pages of a history book that’s circulating I read a passage describing the early Greeks. As founders of the first known city, the Greeks recognized the importance of community building. They would say:

                “To live the good life, one must live in a great city.”

A great city, those early Greeks recognized, was made up of community. And a community is made up of active participation from many. The more parts of the community that contribute, the greater the community becomes.

I asked for the privilege of speaking this morning with hopes of encouraging you to join this effort that Larry, George and Dr. Gooey lead—under the benevolent sponsorship of Ms. Oliver—to build a thriving community in Taft Camp with its Monday morning Toastmaster Club. And in the spirit of community building, I’d like to offer a simple acronym that might remind us to do everything within our power to build a high-energy Toastmaster Club. That acronym is APE — A-P-E. It begins with “A”, for attitude.

When I talk about attitude, I’m referring to inner motivation. In prison, it’s sometimes a challenge to muster energy. Prisoners are separated from family, and as the days turn into weeks, the weeks into months, and the months into years, monotony can be crippling.

The best antidote and our greatest weapons for that lethargy exist in our hearts and in our minds—because our hearts and minds provide the arsenal of attitude. It is attitude that gets us up in the morning and gives us the spirit to triumph over the challenges we face. With the right attitude, we don’t just show up or toe the line. Attitude empowers us to welcome every opportunity to improve, to become better, to live a great life. And a great life begins with a great community—one we can further with our Toastmasters Club.

That leads me to P, which stands for preparation.

Great communities don’t materialize by accident. They require planning, preparation, performance. As Toastmasters, we can motivate ourselves by thinking about contributions we can make for next week’s meeting. Instead of hoping that Larry or others in our group’s leadership won’t call upon you to speak, come with a “can-do” attitude and an energy that shows your enthusiasm. Ask not what your Toastmaster Club can do for you, but what you can do for your Toastmaster Club.

One preparation suggestion might be to write a series of topics you’d like to share with the group. That’s the start of preparation. Look at the list of potential speeches frequently throughout the week. Develop ideas on how you might educate our group in an informative, motivating, or persuasive presentation. Those preparations will endow you with valuable skills, and they will enrich everyone in Taft’s Toastmaster community.

The third letter of the three letter acronym is E, and it stands for excellence.

By beginning every day with the right attitude, we can live on a journey of constant and continuous preparation for excellence. Those personal pursuits become virtues, contributing not only to a more dynamic Toastmasters Club, but endowing us with the skill to fill voids in our lives, bringing meaning wherever we are, with whatever challenges we face.

To become skillful speakers, we must work on our attitudes, we must prepare, and we must pursue excellence.  That’s A-P-E.

Live with the attitude for success, with a commitment to prepare, with a constant pursuit of excellence in this community building effort. 

Narrative of The Life of Frederick Douglas, An American Slave was the 2^nd book I read in 2010.

Why I read Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas, An American Slave:

A few weeks ago, I finished reading Black Boy, a biography of Richard Wright, who was a famous American author. Wright’s descriptions of how he educated himself inspired me, as although the circumstances of imprisonment differ from the struggle of racial oppression, I identified with the challenges Wright faced. When I was looking for another book on people who triumphed over adversity, I found the slim volume on Frederick Douglas, an American slave who escaped from slavery in Maryland to become a leader in Massachusetts. I read his autobiography because I wanted to learn more about the extraordinary life of a man who overcame the injustice of being born a slave, and went on to become a strong American voice who spoke about the horrors of slavery with eloquence and persuasion.

What I learned from reading Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas, An American Slave:

Over the course of imprisonment, I’ve read many books on American history that described slavery, but this powerful autobiography by Frederick Douglas was the first book I read by a man who was born into slavery. He described the way slave owners whipped slaves, how they denied slaves the power of education, how they separated slaves from family bonds, all the while the slave owners fancied themselves good Christian people. Despite the oppressive rules that fettered his life, Frederick Douglas taught himself to read. He not only learned how to read sentences and paragraphs, but he also learned how to read people and events. That remarkable intelligence endowed him with the skills necessary to make his escape from slavery, and to lead his people as a powerful author and orator whose words still inspire, more than 100 years after his death.

How reading Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas, An American Slave will contribute to my success upon release:

When I walk free from prison boundaries, I intend to build a career that contributes to society. I don’t know exactly what I will do, but I continue to train myself and to prepare for a career as a speaker, writer, teacher, and consultant. By using the experience of my imprisonment, and the lessons I’ve learned from others who faced struggle with dignity. I hope to inspire others to reach their highest potential. Narrative of The Life of Frederick Douglas, An American Slave gives me one more story to draw upon, confirming that with a strong mind, man can create meaning in his life.

Why I read Lessons From Prison: 

Justin Paperny, the author of Lessons From Prison, was confined with me at Taft Camp for about one year.  While he was here we developed a friendship and I had the opportunity to work with him as he made preparations for release.  He participated in a class that I taught, and after listening to the message I presented, made a commitment to use his experience as a teaching tool to help others make decisions that will enhance their lives.  He told his story through his book and, although I provided him with some suggestions while he was writing it, I decided to read the book in its entirety for the first time because of news I’ve received describing how helpful others found Justin’s book. 

What I learned from reading Lessons From Prison:

Throughout the course of my lengthy imprisonment, I’ve taught courses with thousands of participants. My message always focuses on steps we can take to overcome adversity and to prepare for law abiding, successful lives upon release.  From reading Justin’s book, I see that he really embraced this message, incorporating it into his life and expanding upon it in a way that far exceeds anyone else who has participated in my classes.  By reading Justin’s book, I learned more about the pressures that influence people who come from privileged backgrounds, study in top universities, and lead distinguished, professional careers.  Justin spoke honestly about his background and the decisions that led him into troubles with the criminal justice system.  He called it “the fraud triangle,” saying that when an individual feels pressure of some sort, has a position that allows him to cheat, and can rationalize his act, he becomes susceptible to fraud.  It’s a struggle that many white-collar offenders describe, but Justin articulates it well in his book.  More importantly, he shows how an individual can redeem himself and work toward leading a more responsible, contributing life. 

How reading Lessons From Prison will contribute to my success upon release: 

Justin’s book and the descriptions he provides will give me a tangible product I can use to show others that with discipline, we can triumph over adversity.  Although Justin doesn’t like to acknowledge the adversity he conquered, I’ve seen one-year prison terms drive weaker men to the brink of suicide.  I admire Justin’s strength, his discipline, and willingness to work toward something better.  He’s an excellent example I can use to show others that those who work can emerge stronger from adversity.

The first goal that I listed was that I would devote a minimum of 40 hours each week of the year toward preparing for my career as communicator upon release.  Certainly, I’ve devoted significantly more than 40 hours each week. During the year I wrote Earning Freedom, a manuscript that chronicles my process through my first 22 years of imprisonment.  Although I finished the first solid draft during the third quarter, the editing continues.  This project will contribute in significant ways to the career I lead when I walk out of prison boundaries, and I spent several hours each day during the fourth quarter working to advance the project.   

Besides writing and polishing the manuscript, I consider all my other activities as integral part of my preparations for release.  This includes my exercise schedule, the books I read, the efforts I make to build my support network, and my daily routine, especially sleeping early and beginning my work before 4:00 am every day of the year.

On the first day of 2009, I wrote that I would read at least 25 books in 2009.  I did not consider that reading 25 books during the year would be an insurmountable number.  Since I read more than 50 books during each of my early years in prison, and more than 40 books during the latter years in prison, I expected to breeze through 25 books in 2009.  But adjustments that I made to my schedule once I began the writing project hindered my ability to reach this modest goal of reading 25 books. I only read and wrote book reports for 21 books during 2009, adding seven books to the tally in the fourth quarter.

Since I expect to continue my focus on writing during 2010, I’m reducing my quota of books to read even further for the New Year to 20.  Each book I read, however, will have some relevance to my career upon release. In addition to reading 21 books in 2009 I also stayed current with world events by reading my subscriptions to Time, Newsweek, and my favorite magazine, The New Yorker.

In setting my 2009 goals, I wrote that I would run an average of at least 50 miles each week, expecting to surpass the 2,600 miles in ran in 2008.  During the first quarter I ran 788 miles; I ran 806 miles in the second quarter; I ran 830 miles during the third quarter; and during the fourth quarter I ran 804 miles for a total distance of 3,228 miles during the year of 2009.  More importantly, I ran every day of the year. Physical fitness represents an important goal for me, and I’m proud of this record.

During the fourth quarter, I also began keeping a tally of my pushups.  My purpose in doing so was to hold myself accountable.  It’s one thing to tell my wife that I want to emerge from confinement in excellent physical condition, but it’s another thing to take regular, measurable steps toward that end.  In the fourth quarter I recorded 20,170 pushups, and made a commitment to record 100,000 pushups in 2010.

Besides physical fitness, writing, and preparations for the contributing life I intend to lead upon release, the fourth quarter of 2009 has been a consolidation and conceptualization. When I write “consolidation”, I mean that I’ve taken time during the fourth quarter to appreciate the many blessings of my life.  Although I write openly about my activities in prison, Carole and I have the blessing of a support group outside that I’m not at liberty to write about.  Nevertheless, those in the group work hard on my behalf, and we’re both grateful for their efforts.  As of now, however, I’m not able to write about unresolved issues that, potentially, could influence our life.

The fourth quarter has been a time of “conceptualization.” I’m moving into the last 10 percent of my imprisonment phase, and acknowledging this latter stage of the journey requires that I create a new plan I can follow as I navigate my way through it. I must use every day effectively, and during the past three months I’ve ruminated over my various options. 

In my Values and Goals for 2010, I outlined some broad strokes to follow as well as some specific goals to achieve during the next year.  I invite readers to visit my daily journal and my future quarterly reports to hold me accountable.  It feels good to begin a New Year, one that will bring me another step closer to home.

I appreciate the support I receive from so many and reaffirm my commitment to prove worthy of that trust.

Sincerely,

Michael G. Santos

Why I read Black Boy:

My friend, Steve Urie, recommended that I read accomplished nonfiction writers.  Although Steve said that he was not a fan of Richard Wright, he told me that his wife, Peggy, an English professor, admired Wright’s work and they both recommended that I read Black Boy.  I’m glad they gave me a copy of the book, because I admire the skill Wright used to tell his story.

What I learned from reading Black Boy:

Black Boy is an autobiography that describes Richard Wright’s life from his earliest memories as a child of the Jim Crow south. He shows the readers how encounters with poverty, racism, segregation, and low expectations shaped the man he would later become.  Although Richard Wright’s formal education was minimal by today’s standards, he educated himself by reading, and trained himself to become one of America’s leading black writers, memorializing the tragic consequences of oppression through his art.

By reading Black Boy, I learned more about what it was like for a black people living the Deep South during the early 1900s, and I was inspired by Wright’s tenacity. He understood the system and he figured out how to navigate his way around the obstacles in order to reach his own ambitions.  I admire the way he responded to his struggle, and I learned from the skillful way he shared his story.

How reading Black Boy will contribute to my success upon release:

When my imprisonment ends, I will build a career around what I learned about conquering adversity.  To communicate this message effectively, I continuously strive to broaden the depth and breadth of my knowledge on the subject.  In reading, Black Boy, I recognized similarities between Richard Wright’s struggle to become one with society and the challenges that I have faced as a prisoner for the past 22 years.  By becoming familiar with Richard Wright’s story, I have more experiences to draw from, and that investment of time will yield results in making me a more effective communicator.  I expect to use what I learned by reading Black Boy in conveying messages to others on how best to triumph in spite of adversity, struggle, or oppression.

Book title: Mean Justice: A Town’s Terror, a Prosecutor’s Power, a Betrayal of Innocence

Author: Edward Humes

Book Publisher: Simon & Schuster (1999)

Non-Fiction / 491 pages

Mean Justice: A Town’s Terror, a Prosecutor’s Power, a Betrayal of Innocence was the 18^th book I read in 2009.

Why I read Mean Justice:

A few years ago, in 2006, Edward Humes wrote a review of my book, Inside, for the Los Angeles Times Book Review. I didn’t know anything about Mr. Humes before then, nor did I know how he was chosen to review Inside. Later I learned from information my wife downloaded from his website

Book title: A Short History of Nearly Everything

Author: Bill Bryson

Book Publisher: Broadway Books (2003)

Non-Fiction / 544 pages

A Short History of Nearly Everything was the 19^th book I read in 2009.

Why I read A Short History of Nearly Everything:

A friend I met at Taft Camp, Steve Urie, recommended this book to me. He didn’t think I’d read it because the book doesn’t relate to the type of book I usually read. A Short History of Nearly Everything is a book that helps amateurs like me understand more about the world we inhabit and how we came to inhabit this world. Since I was rather ignorant about matters pertaining to science and since I was winding down from my projects for the year, I stuck with the book and educated myself by reading A Short History of Nearly Everything

What I learned from reading A Short History of Nearly Everything:

Bill Bryson is a celebrated writer who is famous for writing about his travels and until a few years before writing A Short History of Nearly Everything, he says that he didn’t know as much at all about science. He’s an excellent student. During those few years, he interviewed scores of scientists from around the world and he researched through countless books in order to help others understand how scientists theorized the formation of the earth, the universe and life itself.

I’m not claiming that reading a single science book gives a full education, but in reading A Short History of Nearly Everything, at least I now know what people mean when they discuss “a quantum leap” or “a quasar” or “a polaris” or “carbon dating”. Bill Bryson’s writing skills made it more enjoyable to develop a surface understanding of these scientific concepts. 

How reading A Short History of Nearly Everything will contribute to my success upon release:

My aspirations of building a career in communications require that I broaden my understanding of numerous subjects. I don’t intend to discuss much about the natural or physical sciences, as my area of concentration focuses on human development and achieving optimal performance levels. Yet my work does consider balance, the interconnectivity of all life, and God’s influence. Understanding more about how scientists perceive the origins of the universe, earth and life will help my message.