Deb at:
Divine Essence
P.O. Box 2365
Universal City, TX 78148
or
Humanity's Team US
As Teammates and Stewards of Humanity’s Team U.S. we seek
to Renew and Restore our connection with God and with each other.
We hold a vision of the world in which Humanity truly experiences Unity and Oneness.
http://www.humanitysteamus.org/
email me
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Please help us! Our communities are in crisis….
THE ADULTS: One in every 32 adults in the US (7 million people) were
inprison, on probation or on parole at the end of last year according to
a newreport by the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS).
Drug offenders make up about 20% of all state prisoners (251,000 out of
1.25million) and comprise about 55% of federal prisoners (87,000 out of158,000).
In getting ‘Tough on Crime’ for the last decade, common sense and
compassionhave been eliminated from the sentencing process. State legislation
has repeatedly enacted more severe Mandatory Sentencing laws that are
compounding the problem ensuring the inmate population is greater than
the facilities/staff available. On top of that, little-to-no rehabilitation is
taking place. Inmate ‘warehousing’ is the rule, not the exception.
Those imprisoned number over 90,000 in the Florida state prisons- this is not
counting county jail facilities, county work release or probation/parole.
The number of women being incarcerated is rising alarmingly- the BJS
reportnotes that the number of women in prison is growing faster than men.
Overthe past year, the number of women in state or federal prison increased
2.6 percent and the number of male prisoners rose 1.9 percent. By year's
end, seven percent of prisoners were women. Seventy five percent of the
women in prison are mothers, typically having two to three children. About 7 to
10 percent of women are pregnant when they are arrested. Yet another
generation at risk. Early intervention is vital!
Additional statistics from the BJS are: a) 115,000 offenders enter the
Florida Corrections System each year; b) 43,000 of these offenders have never been in the Florida
Corrections System; c) the
Florida recidivism rate (the rate at which prisoners get
re-incarcerated) is sitting right around 63%. Sixty three percent of people being
released will return within 3 years! What a waste in human resources. What a
waste of taxpayers money…. Nearly 2 Billion dollars ($ 1,885,701,238) for
2004/2005 was the budget for Florida Department of Corrections.
THE CHILDREN: The children of incarcerated parents are being lost
through the cracks of the system. It has been estimated that approximately 1.5
million children have a parent in prison. However, this number misses
those youth whose parent is in jail or has recently been released. With
incarceration rates increasing four-fold in the past 30 years, and
those who are incarcerated serving longer sentences (and thus are removed from
their families for longer periods of time), the effect on the children can be
and usually is, devastating. Add to this is the stigmatization. An ounce
of prevention is worth a pound of cure especially when dealing with our youth.
Intervention prior to entry into the juvenile correction system is
preferable and the costs to society much lower.
Parental incarceration is not a single event, but a process which
begins with criminal activity, progresses through the arrest process,
incarceration, and (usually) release. Additionally, incarceration does
not signal the beginning of family distress, but usually exacerbates a life
that may already be characterized by poverty, stress, and trauma.
So what can communities do?
Building another prison is counterproductive. Helping the Florida Dept
of Correction to ‘Rehab & Release’ the non-violent segment,
re-integrating the released into our communities will better serve our people and our
budgets.
Here are some suggestions how you and your organization could make an
incredible difference:
1)Mentoring
2)Penpals
3)Community Oversight
4)Community Mediation
5)Spiritual mentoring and Education
6)Volunteering (Classes, Plays, Community Awareness drives)
7)Donations for -Visiting Park (ex: kids toys for visiting parks)
Recreational equipment (ex:basketballs)
Musical instruments (ex: guitars)
Books
8)Follow-up/support on release (ReEntry Issues: Jobs, Housing)
9)Contact the Legislature to push for common sense/compassion in
sentencing non-violent offenders and more education, vocational
training and rehabilitation! (See attached- A Judge’s Opinion)
If you would like start a prison outreach for your organization or
enlarge the scope of an existing outreach program, there are documents enclosed
that can help. If you should encounter any problems connecting with your
local correctional institution, please feel free to contact me. The number,
address, email is listed on the letterhead. A website,
www.PleaseReleaseMe.org , is being developed to aid organizations like
yours to effect positive changes in our communities and will be
available as a resource soon. See the Key Campaign on the referenced website.
Together we can use the Restorative Justice model for win-win solutions
in social justice. Solutions that brings a healthy vitality, repairing
the fabric of our communities. To learn more about the Restorative Justice
model, see the enclosed FAQ sheet and visit
www.restorativejusticenow.org
Details are listed for the NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON RESTORATIVE JUSTICE,
Sunday, June 24 – Wednesday, June 27, 2007 to be held at Schreiner
University, Kerrville, Texas.
There are many opportunities to make a difference: Community Attention,
Community Participation, Community Intervention! People like you and
organizations like yours are desperately needed to donate time, energy,
and experience in a variety of areas within the Florida corrections system.
With your help we can build stronger families and stronger communities.
Won’t you help? If not you, then who? If not now, then when?
From Deb at Divine Essence, Universal City, Texas
