The Christmas holiday season is nearly upon us and what wonderous cheer will be spread (or not). As most families celebrate this joyous occasion, there will be many forgotten individuals whom have nothing to be thankful for. They are forgotten and not even remembered. It seems that the true spirit of Christmas has been lost to the season of commercialism.
It's no longer about spreading joy and love or even, helping those in need. Instead, it is more about finding the biggest present under the tree or who can outdo who in terms of expensive gifts. This may sound pessimissic, but in reality this is quite often the case. Every day thousands of needy people across this nation are being shunned, simply because they are from the class of citizens, known as the "have not's". Another group that has fallen prey are ex-offenders and many of them will not have a joyous holiday to celebrate, because society has chosen to punish them past the point that the law allows.
With little option, due to lack of living wage jobs and/or safe affordable housing, many of these people will do nothing more than to live in quiet obscurity. Shielded from the light of happiness by the shadow of their past, recidivism is always the highest this time of year. The sad part about this, victims are born all over again.
By allowing a mutual respect, understanding and even compassion, this holiday season can be a little more joyous for all. I hope that the true spirit of Christmas will emerge and that everyone can enjoy it, as it was meant to be.
Saturday, December 9, 2006
Wednesday, December 6, 2006
Biased or Not?
Yesterday, I decided to write an article explaining the hurdles that ex-offenders must face, when coming home to their communities. It was my intent to help people in the understanding that not all ex-offenders were "bad" people and everyone needs a second chance. I took the liberty of emailing my article to the editors of several news publications in Montana.
The response that I recieved was all over the board, ranging from low to high interest. This was not at all surprising, but I did recieve one reply from a certain editor that came across as very biased and uncaring. Somehow, I always thought that news personnel were supposed to be neutral.
It is for this reason that I have decided to post our emails to one another and allow the readers of this blog decide if his response was a proper one.
On Dec 5, 2006, at 3:43 PM, David S. wrote:>>>> >
Hello,
I am contacting you in the effort to see if you ever publish news articles that deal with special interest written by individuals not on your staff? If so, I would like to submit a story for your newspaper to publish. Please let me know at your convenience and I will email it to you.
Sincerely,
David S.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This doesn't really fit the type of story we run. Thanks for the submission, though. Also, this is more of an editorial than a news article. If people don't want to fight the stigma of being and "ex-offender" there is a simple solution: don't become an "offender" in the first place!
Thanks,
Mike -deleted-
-Deleted- Editor
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I was quite surprised to read his response and wondered if he was this way when dealing with his other news articles. Am I overreacting? I'd like to know what your thoughts are.
The response that I recieved was all over the board, ranging from low to high interest. This was not at all surprising, but I did recieve one reply from a certain editor that came across as very biased and uncaring. Somehow, I always thought that news personnel were supposed to be neutral.
It is for this reason that I have decided to post our emails to one another and allow the readers of this blog decide if his response was a proper one.
On Dec 5, 2006, at 3:43 PM, David S. wrote:>>>> >
Hello,
I am contacting you in the effort to see if you ever publish news articles that deal with special interest written by individuals not on your staff? If so, I would like to submit a story for your newspaper to publish. Please let me know at your convenience and I will email it to you.
Sincerely,
David S.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This doesn't really fit the type of story we run. Thanks for the submission, though. Also, this is more of an editorial than a news article. If people don't want to fight the stigma of being and "ex-offender" there is a simple solution: don't become an "offender" in the first place!
Thanks,
Mike -deleted-
-Deleted- Editor
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I was quite surprised to read his response and wondered if he was this way when dealing with his other news articles. Am I overreacting? I'd like to know what your thoughts are.
Tuesday, December 5, 2006
Education vs No Education
Lately, I have pondering the question about whether getting a college degree can actually help an ex-offender or not. It certainly is something worth thinking about, especially when you look at everything from both sides of the fence. On one hand, we have very competitive job markets and he who has the education, will almost always win. On the other hand, if employers are unwilling to hire an ex-offender under any condition, is the money spend on education a waste?
I guess that it depends on the area of the country in which you live and the type of career that you wish to persue. Every state has it's own restrictions on the types of jobs that ex-felons can hold. Additionally, there is always the aspect of licensure and the ability to secure it. Some of these states are getting pretty silly about what an ex-offender can and cannot do. For example, New York state won't even allow you to get a barber's license (something that many inmates are trained for while in prison). What's even more sad, is that many of these careers which are now off-limits to ex-felons, have critical shortages in terms of skilled workers.
With this having been said, my best answer to persuing an education would be, YES! As difficult as it is trying to find a job, anything and everything that an ex-offender can do to level the playing field is a must. I can only recommend that before going ahead with anything, explore which career field interests you the most, check with your state to find out about restrictions and then go for it.
I guess that it depends on the area of the country in which you live and the type of career that you wish to persue. Every state has it's own restrictions on the types of jobs that ex-felons can hold. Additionally, there is always the aspect of licensure and the ability to secure it. Some of these states are getting pretty silly about what an ex-offender can and cannot do. For example, New York state won't even allow you to get a barber's license (something that many inmates are trained for while in prison). What's even more sad, is that many of these careers which are now off-limits to ex-felons, have critical shortages in terms of skilled workers.
With this having been said, my best answer to persuing an education would be, YES! As difficult as it is trying to find a job, anything and everything that an ex-offender can do to level the playing field is a must. I can only recommend that before going ahead with anything, explore which career field interests you the most, check with your state to find out about restrictions and then go for it.
Monday, December 4, 2006
Can Ex-Offenders Transition?
Once they've done their time, many inmates emerge from incarceration with the hope of finding a suitable job and housing and even, rebuilding their lives. The sad reality of this, is that many will be turned down for the employment that they possess the skills for either, because an employer is unwilling to take a chance on them or because their state has imposed restrictions in regards to licensure. To further compound their dilemma, many times landlords won’t even rent to someone with a felony conviction. As an example, some states won’t even allow an ex-felon to get a barber’s license (a trade that is often taught while in prison).
Often times, when faced with the prospect of accepting a minimum wage job and being forced to rent in crime infested neighborhoods, their desire to succeed may only last for a short period of time. According to statistics, it is estimated that nearly 2/3 of all released felons will return to prison within 3 years. Unfortunately, this is understandable. A sizable portion of inmates who enter into the prison system do so, without the benefit of completing high school education. Couple this with mental illness, high competition in the job market and alienation from their community and in some instances, their family and friends and this marks them from the outset as prime candidates for recidivism.
Fortunately, state and federal officials have created certain programs designed for prisoner re-entry. Some of these services include, family assistance, job training, housing aid, mental health services, and even educational services. The question, is this enough to overcome the multitude of barriers that ex-offenders are faced with?
Often times, when faced with the prospect of accepting a minimum wage job and being forced to rent in crime infested neighborhoods, their desire to succeed may only last for a short period of time. According to statistics, it is estimated that nearly 2/3 of all released felons will return to prison within 3 years. Unfortunately, this is understandable. A sizable portion of inmates who enter into the prison system do so, without the benefit of completing high school education. Couple this with mental illness, high competition in the job market and alienation from their community and in some instances, their family and friends and this marks them from the outset as prime candidates for recidivism.
Fortunately, state and federal officials have created certain programs designed for prisoner re-entry. Some of these services include, family assistance, job training, housing aid, mental health services, and even educational services. The question, is this enough to overcome the multitude of barriers that ex-offenders are faced with?
Friday, December 1, 2006
First Things, First
When it comes to dealing with the problem of crime, the first common misconception that comes to mind is, “lock ‘em up!”. Somehow, this doesn’t sit right with me, as I believe the answer is not just incarceration, but also, rehabilitation. Back in the ‘70’s and thru the ‘90’s, the public cried for harsher sentencing laws and so our public officials enacted legislation that would allow this to happen.
On paper, it sounds like a plausible answer to all problems, but in reality it just doesn’t fit. The true fact is, we need to help ex-offenders in becoming a productive part of our communities where they are actually a positive resource and not allow them to feel the need to resort to crime as an answer.
Perhaps, the first step in achieving this goal, would be to insure that all prisons offer suitable educational programs that allow everything from G.E.D. completion to vocational trades training. After all, what good is a G.E.D., without a trade to work? In doing so, the inmate will have an opportunity to compete with the rest of the community when it comes to securing suitable employment. This certainly isn’t the only answer to their rehabilitation, but it would bring about a positive start.
I understand that many folks will probably think that it is wrong to spend the extra dollars on those individuals who have wronged society by committing crimes, but let’s face it. Can we afford to keep spending tens of thousands of dollars per year, per inmate in a lost attempt to keep them isolated from the general public, only to release them eventually to repeat their past transgressions?
It makes much more sense to spend our resources in the attempt to rehabilitate them and turn them into honest tax-paying citizens (did I mention, tax-paying). Wake up people and do the math.
On paper, it sounds like a plausible answer to all problems, but in reality it just doesn’t fit. The true fact is, we need to help ex-offenders in becoming a productive part of our communities where they are actually a positive resource and not allow them to feel the need to resort to crime as an answer.
Perhaps, the first step in achieving this goal, would be to insure that all prisons offer suitable educational programs that allow everything from G.E.D. completion to vocational trades training. After all, what good is a G.E.D., without a trade to work? In doing so, the inmate will have an opportunity to compete with the rest of the community when it comes to securing suitable employment. This certainly isn’t the only answer to their rehabilitation, but it would bring about a positive start.
I understand that many folks will probably think that it is wrong to spend the extra dollars on those individuals who have wronged society by committing crimes, but let’s face it. Can we afford to keep spending tens of thousands of dollars per year, per inmate in a lost attempt to keep them isolated from the general public, only to release them eventually to repeat their past transgressions?
It makes much more sense to spend our resources in the attempt to rehabilitate them and turn them into honest tax-paying citizens (did I mention, tax-paying). Wake up people and do the math.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
The First Day
Sitting here in front of my computer, I was just thinking about how many ex-offenders are struggling to reclaim their lives and fit back into society as productive citizens. Though, it is true that there are a number of people who will never change (nor, want to), most of these ex-offenders want nothing more than to come home to their loved ones and fit in as normally, as possible.
Just to give a few facts, there are currently, over 2.2 million people incarcreated in U.S. jails and prisons. Since, America holds 5% of the world's population, this accounts for roughly, 25% of all persons imprisoned around the globe. In a society that prides itself on freedom, we have ultimately become a country of prisons. This is mainly due to the "get tough on crime" policies of the 1970's - 1990's. Many, of those individuals locked up are serving far longer sentences than most other countries would even consider imposing for similar crimes.
Last year, an estimated 650,000 prisoners were released back into society after serving their time, but in stark contrast, incarceration rates were up nearly 2.7% from the following year according to AP news report. What does this all mean? Simply put, rehabilitation programs need to work harder when it comes to helping these offenders fit back in. Additionally, society has to learn the benefits of helping these people re-establish themselves back into their communities. If this does not happen, then most ex-offenders will wind up doing life in prison on the installment plan.
Just to give a few facts, there are currently, over 2.2 million people incarcreated in U.S. jails and prisons. Since, America holds 5% of the world's population, this accounts for roughly, 25% of all persons imprisoned around the globe. In a society that prides itself on freedom, we have ultimately become a country of prisons. This is mainly due to the "get tough on crime" policies of the 1970's - 1990's. Many, of those individuals locked up are serving far longer sentences than most other countries would even consider imposing for similar crimes.
Last year, an estimated 650,000 prisoners were released back into society after serving their time, but in stark contrast, incarceration rates were up nearly 2.7% from the following year according to AP news report. What does this all mean? Simply put, rehabilitation programs need to work harder when it comes to helping these offenders fit back in. Additionally, society has to learn the benefits of helping these people re-establish themselves back into their communities. If this does not happen, then most ex-offenders will wind up doing life in prison on the installment plan.
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