Re-Entry As a "Movement"

Barack Obama's "movement" in politics brings sharply to mind another movement that is now underway in America that is just as important and impactful on our future as a nation. That is the re-entry of released felons back into their communities, and how to better prepare them for release and, once out, to keep them from committing new crimes and going back...commonly referred to as "recidivism." So important to our survival as a society is this that nearly every state and many cabinet-level departments of the federal government have offices and departments dedicated to re-entry work. Even several large cities, where crime rates are highest, have recognized the need for more pro-active, preventive work in re-directing those who have done their time and who want to come back with a better attitude. 

In Philadelphia, Mayor Mike Nutter has recently established its own Office of Re-Entry and most appropriately designated a former felon, Ron Cuie, to head it. I applaud this effort on Mayor Nutter's part, and beyond him, the efforts of Pennsylvania's Senator Arlen Specter, who is pressing Congress for a bill to establish a $10,000 tax incentive for employers who hire former felons. This is exactly what is needed now to stem the tide of recidivism, which hovers somewhere between 70% to 80% across the nation. Giving former inmates a "second chance" by providing a means of making a living when they get out is essential. No matter how determined or even how well-educated a former offender may be when he or she is released from prison or jail, the outlook is very bleak. If there is no way for them to earn even bare subsistence to provide for the most basic needs...food, clothing, shelter and transportation...they will go back to the same elements and activities that got them into trouble in the first place. For most of them, it's inevitable.   

This is not rocket science. It is common and basic fundamentals of living. If you have a criminal record, no money in your pocket, and no one to extend a helping hand, any parole or probation officer will tell you that your chances of making it on the outside are nil. 

Most people would be shocked to learn how many men and women in prisons and jails really want to change, and how relatively simple it is for us to assist them in making that change. They've paid the price for their mistakes, and once they've established a clear shift in attitude and willingness to accept responsibility for themselves and their actions, they should be given a meaningful chance to re-build their lives. Any employer who has hired former felons will tell you that even though some don't make it, the ones who do far outweigh the ones who don't. In the words of a man who regularly hired newly-released felons for his bottled water company in Phoenix, Arizona, "They are among the most highly incentivized employees I've ever had."

There is ample evidence now to support this new direction in "corrections" work. A mere "willingness to understand" on the part of employers, corrections and justice department officials, and the public in general will result in measurable reduction of crime...and suffering...on both sides of the law.