I think we can all agree that there are some significantly broken links in our criminal justice and corrections systems across the nation. I reposted an excellent clip of how an inmate thinks while incarcerated and how they plan for their release date, which is often followed by a period of post-release or parole supervision. Securing employment to support their family is their greatest fear. Every time. They do not want to deal drugs again, but they left prison with no more education than that with which they came in, and the system has historically been all about “doing time for the crime” rather than preventing it. Therefore, recidivism ensues. They’re humans feeding a family, failed to receive education or skills training while serving their sentence, and return to doing what they know; criminal activity.

As a psychologist at a correctional facility, the environment at our facility has drastically changed since late last year and I have had an inside view of how inmates responded to those changes. They lost all privileges and freedoms for several weeks, months even, and we are now in a slow recovery phase. The impact of these changes took a tremendous psychological toll on many of them who had no part in what led to those changes, and I have heard statements repeatedly on their emotional states and thought processes. Last week alone, I had four inmates on my caseload beg for a job to occupy their time and help them earn “gain time”, which allows for their sentence to be reduced due to their work efforts. That number was in just one week. Many inmates were paralyzed with depression since last fall simply because they could not work, participate in learning programs, earn their way out, or prepare for their release. Oftentimes, they requested jobs to occupy their time, keep them out of trouble, and escape from their constant intrusive memories of childhood trauma, or the trauma of their offenses.

Allow me to reiterate what an inmate population looks like from a pie-chart visual that you can produce in your mind. One third of our inmates we will never see again. They made an egregious error in judgment and are of no concern of recidivism, or reoffending. The second third of an inmate population may be “frequent fliers” with unresolved emotional or physical trauma, and they may be on the fence, so to speak. They may or may not return, and they may or may not respond to psychological treatment. The final third of that population are exactly where they need to be, contained in a safe place away from the public at all costs. They are not fixable, do not respond to treatment, and will not improve in any way over time. They may slow down or learn to appreciate their freedom by not acting out, but they will never be safe for the general public. The majority of that last third are quite dangerous in prison because they are “not getting out and have nothing to lose.” They are extremely dangerous people. Prior to any inmate’s release, there is a point in time where psychologists can show with documentation over a period of years to other professionals or potential employers whether or not any given inmate has been rehabilitated, or has a chance of succeeding outside of the walls.

Realistically, we whine and complain about educating inmates while we focus on them “doing their time”, which in all actuality, they do their time forever. Instead of looking for potential, we focus on their criminal history rather than what they have done with their time of incarceration. The general public does not want their tax dollars used for educating inmates when the means of supporting themselves upon release is imperative. What all people need to know is that when an inmate asks to complete a program, they are planning for success upon release. They are making every effort to learn skills that can help them avoid reincarceration the right way and are pursuing it themselves without prompting. When an inmate asks for a job, they are wanting to occupy their time to avoid disciplinary infractions, or they want to escape from memories of trauma. These concepts and opportunities need to transition to beyond their release.

How do we identify the inmates that have chances for successful employment? First, let’s make note that behavior is much more honest than speech. That said, in addition to the education one has pursued, we can look at the jobs they have maintained and absence of disciplinary infractions for long periods of time, programs they have completed to improve interpersonal skills or substance abuse, all of which are indicative of a person who has pursued change, a person who has utilized every possible tool available them to prepare for a life beyond prison walls.

What is my point? We can each play a role in fixing the system and supporting former inmates with second chances. Verifiable means are available to confirm the likelihood, or lack thereof, of success and recidivism. As an average citizen or business owner, you can safely provide that second chance to an ex-inmate to support that person from returning to prison by asking a few more questions than is typical. We need to evolve beyond the common assumptions of “guilty until proven innocent”, “not my tax dollars for education”, and “must have a ‘clean’ criminal record to be employed”. If we want to reduce crime and recidivism, it can be done, but it won’t happen by magic. If we do not focus on rehabilitation and education, some ex-inmates will return to their old lifestyles to survive. We can fix this system from the outside in, and it is an achievable goal. Prison systems across the nation are leaning more towards rehabilitation than ever before, both at the state and federal levels. It is a multilevel process, however, where change must occur from the outside as well. Consider how you can help. As I’ve stated before, how much harm can it do to hire an ex-inmate to change tires all day? You would be amazed at their willingness to do so…

Absolutely feel free to contact me for more information!