Additions:
12/10
This class was extremely beneficial. I'll admit, I was skeptical of the Wiki at first. It seemed overwhelming and frustrating that first week of class, but that's just because I'm computer illiterate. Blogs were a great way to make writing fun, because you got to read you classmate's blogs and comment on them.
I would tell incoming students to keep their priorities straight. It's hard to write that paper when your friends are in the next room playing beer pong, but sometimes you just gotta buckle down and do it. College should be fun, but you don't want to start off on the wrong foot. Always make sure your schoolwork comes first so you stay on the write track.
Thanks for making English such a great experience for me. Good luck next year, Andrew!!
Edited on 2005-12-07 20:40:07 by EschaTon
Additions:
Yeah, I live right off campus. It's really the way to go. I have friends who have to spend 20-30 minutes getting to campus and I get to spend that time sleeping. It's quite sweet. - EschaTon
Edited on 2005-12-07 17:50:03 by TrinFuff
Additions:
12/7
DAMN THOSE CATA BUSES!!! I want to blow up each and every one. Well, maybe that's a little extreme. But it really sucks when you live off campus and you cannot rely on the buses to get you to class. Like today, for instance. I missed English because the damn bus came to my apartment complex ten minutes early and I didn't figure that out until after I had been waiting half an hour in the FREEZING cold. It really puts a damper on my mood. It's not just the off-campus buses, either. The white loop is SO unreliable. It's supposed to come every seven minutes, but if I dont catch the one that comes immediately after our class, I have to wait fifteen minutes for the next one, causing me to be late to math. I'm sure they're doing all they can, it just sucks when someone else's problems affect your life so much. I love living in my apartment complex, but I think I want to live downtown next year only because I won't have to deal with the freaking bus schedule.
Edited on 2005-12-04 18:21:57 by TrinFuff
No differences.
Edited on 2005-12-04 18:21:42 by TrinFuff
Additions:
12/4
I pretty much slept until 3 30 in the afternoon today, and I've got to say, it was all that I had hoped for and more. It sucks now because I have to go to practice and I still have a crapload of work to do, but I figured that since next weekend is going to be hell, I might as well make the most of this one. I hope everyone else did the same. See you tomorrow!
Edited on 2005-12-01 18:41:22 by TrinFuff
No differences.
Edited on 2005-12-01 18:40:59 by TrinFuff
Additions:
I have a bone to pick with the bus-users on campus. I park at the Bryce Jordan Center in the morning and ride the bus into campus each day. Every single time, the bus fills to its maximum capacity at East Halls and becomes virtually empty at the next stop, the Creamery. It takes about eight minutes (at the most) to walk that distance. So instead of the bus driving students who must travel from one end of campus to the other, it is packed with the ones that are just lazy. If you're not going to be late, WALK! Besides, you usually have to wait 8 minutes for a bus anyway.
Deletions:
The most important material is in bold
Changing the Lives of Prisoners: a New Agenda
Lawrence T Jablecki. The Humanist. Washington, DC: Nov/Dec 2005.Vol.65, Iss. 6; pg. 30, 6 pgs
» Jump to full text
» Translate document into:
» More Like This - Find similar documents
Subjects: Recidivism, Crime prevention, Ex-convicts, Prisoners, Literature
Author(s): Lawrence T Jablecki
Document types: Feature
Publication title: The Humanist. Washington, DC: Nov/Dec 2005. Vol. 65, Iss. 6; pg. 30, 6 pgs
Source type: Periodical
ISSN/ISBN: 00187399
ProQuest document ID: 923216651
Text Word Count 2937
Document URL: http://proquest.umi.com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/pqdweb?did=923216651&sid=6&Fmt=4&clientId=9874&RQT=309&VName=PQD∞
Abstract (Document Summary)
Faith-based programs are not the only or best ways to integrate ex-convicts into society. Here, Jablecki discusses some rational alternatives with proven records of success that should be used in order to protect the lives and property of law-abiding citizens. Among other things, he notes that Changing Lives through Literature is a bold experiment that can be used as a paradigm for creating similar programs in both state and federal prisons.
Full Text (2937 words)
Copyright American Humanist Association Nov/Dec 2005 TODAY MORE THAN TWO MILLION people are incarcerated in state and federal prisons, 600,000 are released every year, and within three to five years 50 to 60 percent return to prison for committing new crimes or for violating their conditional releases. This deplorable rate of recidivism results in many thousands of new crime victims, the public response to which could lead to another era of billions spent on new prisons.In an ostensible effort to turn this situation around-to promote rehabilitation of inmates and reduction in recidivism-special faith-based prisons have sprung up over the past few years in California, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Minnesota, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, and other states. And the Corrections Corporation of America, which privately runs prisons for governments, has also jumped on the religious bandwagon. Funding for these programs, however, comes from state revenues distributed directly or indirectly to sectarian religious organizations. Because of this, such efforts engender obvious church-state entanglements. But there are problems with program effectiveness as well.For example, despite reported rehabilitation successes, not all prisoners are eligible to participate. In effect, only those most likely to change need apply, such as medium- to low-risk drug offenders. Thus we see millions of U.S. tax dollars being routed through religious organizations to salvage the lives of only a select few while doing little to change the lives of the vast majority of inmates, most of whom will eventually be released with or without some form of supervision.Beyond this, the much-touted positive outcomes are, at least in part, a product of counting the winners and ignoring the losers. "Graduating" from a faith-based program is often defined not only as sticking with a demanding course over a number of months but also getting a job after release. Since getting a job is itself among the most reliable predictors of a former inmate staying out of trouble, then the "proven" success of graduates has been demonstrated largely with circular logic. Participants who drop out, are kicked out, or who get early parole and don't finish usually aren't counted in program statistics at all.Because of all this, existing faith-based prisons offer insufficient evidence that "a Christ-centered biblically-based program" designed to root out sin is more effective than secular programs that use a therapeutic model of creating and restoring human relationships. Indeed, a number of secular approaches have well-documented success rates. So, if society wants to dramatically reduce the amount of serious crimes and social havoc perpetrated by former state and federal inmates, a new and more inclusive agenda is needed for changing lives and reducing recidivism.OPINION POLLS OF THE LAST SEVERAL years on crime and punishment in the United States demonstrate the consensus that two major consequences should occur in the lives of convicted criminals who are sentenced to prison. First, that the duration of their loss of freedom in society is for most of the sentence in real calendar time; and second, upon release they are "better" people. Increased prison capacity and the implementation of truth in sentencing are approximating the first demand. Presumably, a better person is understood to mean one whose thinking has been redirected or transformed during incarceration and who, following release, will be equipped to resist any temptation to return to a life of crime. There are no fairies to distribute magic wands to prison administrators to wave over the heads of inmates immediately prior to their release that will sprinkle virtue dust on them and transform them into better people. Enlarge 200%
Enlarge 400%
[Photograph]
The research data of the same opinion polls inform us that the "vast majority" of Americans believe that most prison inmates are capable of changing into law-abiding members of society and should during their incarceration be given a significant variety of opportunities for change. Therefore, a massive infusion of new funding into the annual budgets of the prison and parole components of all state and federal agencies is needed. Such prison program expenditures should be restricted to the following:The creation and expansion of general educational programs culminating in General Education Diplomas and high school diplomas and the creation and expansion of college and university programs in which inmates can earn undergraduate and graduate degrees. Though many, if not most, Americans have mixed feelings or are opposed to helping finance college or university degrees for prison inmates, the benefits of higher education for those who are capable is grounded in the research data of numerous evaluations, all of which verify that the recidivism rate of those who complete these programs is significantly less than for inmates who are released with lesser or no educational accomplishments. Of course, inmate opportunities shouldn't take anything away from any ordinary person who meets the eligibility criteria for educational grants and loans. In this connection, Congress should introduce legislation enabling prison inmates to receive Pell grants, which were previously discontinued when many in Congress were duped into believing that multitudes of needy and law-abiding citizens were being denied these grants because of awards to prison inmates.The creation and expansion of vocational programs, the completion of which would qualify inmates for good-paying employment in numerous blue-collar professions.The creation and expansion of counseling programs, staffed by well-qualified people, designed to meet the needs of those inmates with any substance abuse problem or psychological or psychiatric issue.The creation and expansion of visitation opportunities for families of inmates in order to strengthen and reestablish bonds of affection and support, which are of vital importance for successful reentry into communities.Just doing these things will go a long way toward more effectively promoting the rehabilitation of inmates and a reduction in recidivism.THEN IT'S TIME TO "think outside the box." With the aim of increasing the number of opportunities for all inmates eligible for release to participate in education programs capable of igniting the desire and strength of will to become a better person, a commitment should be made to Project Habilitation or Changing Lives through Literature.Project Habilitation entails the abandonment of the "myth of rehabilitation" in favor of a much more accurate account of the thinking and behavioral habits of the majority of prison inmates. The universally accepted definition of rehabilitation is to restore a person to a former state of good health or a useful and constructive purpose. But most of the people in our prisons have never developed habits of thinking and conduct conducive to living a law-abiding life. Instead, they think and act as if they and their immediate desires are the center of the universe around which all human life revolves. It would therefore be a serious mistake to rehabilitate them. Habilitation, by contrast, is the civilizing, educational, and life-transforming experience caused by the power of knowledge to grab a human mind and redirect the course of a person's life. More specifically, habilitation is a "spiritual conversion" to thinking and acting in compliance with the cardinal requirement of an ethical life: namely, that our civil society is a moral community in which all members are entitled to certain human rights and are bound by the obligation to respect the rights of others.Changing Lives through Literature is a bold experiment that can be used as a paradigm for creating similar programs in both state and federal prisons. It was designed in 1991 by Robert Waxier, a professor of English literature at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, and Robert Kane, a district court judge in New Bedford, Massachusetts, to serve as a sentencing option for recalcitrant male probationers facing the prospect of a prison sentence. Waxier made the highly unconventional request that the court "send a group of eight to ten of those bad guys to me at the university and I will introduce them to the transformative power of some of the great works of literature." Kane embraced the challenge and "go to school and read books or go to jail" became a new choice for some probationers in New Bedford. In 1992, following a meeting with Waxier and Kane, Jean Trounstine, a professor of humanities at Middlesex Community College in Lowell, Massachusetts, with the enthusiastic support of District Court Judge Joseph Dever, instituted a similar program for female probationers.The probationers selected for these programs aren't creamed from the group most likely to succeed but must demonstrate an eighth-grade reading level. The texts for the men's classes include The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, and Animal Farm by George Orwell. The texts for the women's classes include The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, and Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston.During its fourteen-year history this genuine revolution in criminal justice has spread to a significant number of other states, as well as to Canada and the United Kingdom. This is due largely to the indisputable findings of independent evaluations that numerous lives have been redirected in a crime-free path as a direct result of reading and discussing powerful presentations of the issues and questions endemic to the human condition. Qualified scholars in the humanities can assemble a long list of significant readings accessible to the mental abilities of most of the people incarcerated in our state and federal prisons.The successful implementation of these new initiatives, however, will require major changes in how we use some of our existing prison facilities, the criteria for the employment and retention of correctional officers, and the creation of new policies designed to reward inmates for good conduct and the completion of educational and vocational programs.First, most prisons are extremely noisy places. Some of them, and large sections of others, should be transformed into education units in which inmates are housed and can work, learn, and study in a quiet environment. second, we must follow the lead of those who are working to transform the culture of correctional staff into a real profession, requiring some post high school education and entitlement to higher annual salaries. Third, it is totally unrealistic to expect masses of inmates to decide to become better people in the absence of a substantial incentive. This is where we have another opportunity to "think outside the box" by initiating a bold plan to satisfy legitimate grievances of parole-eligible inmates and maintain protection of the public interest.INMATES ARE MORE LIKELY TO embrace educational and vocational programs and behave with civility if the following information is given to them in written form and fully explained during their orientation and evaluation as incoming prisoners:Every inmate, upon reaching eligibility for parole, is entitled to a public hearing administered by a three-member panel of parole commissioners. This panel will allow oral and written testimony from all parties in favor of or against the granting of parole. This means that victims and prosecutors will appear in some cases to protest the release of a violent and dangerous person. It also means that witnesses for the inmate-for example, spouses, children, parents, clergy, and teachers-will be given time to state why they are urging the panel to grant parole. Inmates shall have the right to address the panel from the witness stand in order to explain their accomplishments and how they have changed subsequent to incarceration. Inmates shall have the right to retain counsel to prepare their case and to guide them through their testimony.Any decision by the panel of parole commissioners would require two votes. Immediately following the admission of all testimony in a case, the members may vote and explain their judgment in the open hearing, or they may decide to take the matter under advisement for a period not to exceed thirty days. The hearing would then be reconvened, at which time each panel member would explain her or his vote to the inmate. This procedure is nearly equivalent to the inmate's trial at which evidence was presented, guilt was confessed or determined, and a sentence was imposed. In short, the critically important function of this procedure is that it steers clear of a nondiscretionary, mandatory release of inmates judged to be a continuing threat to society and encourages the decision makers to grant release to numerous inmates who, in the panel's judgment, have reached or are on their way to habilitation.In this connection, state governors will need to resist the temptation to appoint their own cronies to these important positions in the administration of criminal justice. Parole commissioners should be assigned a caseload with a minimum-maximum range and this become the benchmark for determining the number of such positions in every state. The minimum qualifications for appointment should be a four year degree from an accredited college or university, a documented knowledge of criminal justice, and a reputation for possessing the courage to express ones beliefs in a public forum. Appointments should be for a term of five years and eligibility restricted to two successive terms. These positions would be full time and earn an annual salary commensurate with responsibilities.WITH THESE RECOMMENDATIONS, however, the fact remains that some of the 600,000 people released annually from prisons are going to commit more crimes and spit defiantly in the face of any new policies and programs. There are no silver bullets armed with a guarantee to habilitate all of them. But we must not allow this grim and inevitable reality to derail our determination to stay the course. The inmates who complete counseling and vocational and education programs, and are nearing release, must be the focus of attention of the agencies charged with preparing them for reentry and with supervision following their release.Of interest in this regard is the fact that Texas is the birthplace of a paradigm that should be replicated and funded in every state and federal jurisdiction that supervises ex-offenders. It was in 1985 that a two-city experiment called Project RIO, the reintegration of offenders, was launched. The mission of this ambitious and optimistic state program was and is to provide job preparation services to prison inmates in order to give them a head start in the post-release search for employment. The project has been funded entirely by the states general revenues and "represents an unusual collaboration between two state agencies ... the Texas Workforce Commission (the state's employment agency) and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (Institutional and Parole Divisions)" And from its small beginning to the present, Project RIO has established a track record of assisting and finding employment for thousands of ex-offenders, documented a significantly lower recidivism rate than comparable groups of nonparticipants, and saved the state millions of real tax dollars.Given the publicly verified accomplishments of Project RIO and the potential for nationwide replication, there should be a national commitment to fund and a sufficient number of professional and support staff to:* provide a comprehensive j ob readiness orientation for all prison inmates within three to six months of their release* recruit and train a legion of non-paid volunteers to serve as mentors to inmates prior to and after their release* contact and recruit corporations, companies, and small business operations willing to hire ex-offenders* support changes in federal and state legislation to increase tax credits for those who hire ex-offenders.The lure of federal dollars, many tied to matching grants, should be used to entice the majority of states to set in motion the guts of this new agenda.Beyond the reintegration of the newly released comes the reintegration of the previously released. Toward this latter end, a governmental commission needs to be created-composed of some of the nation's most influential scholars in constitutional law, jurisprudence, criminal justice, and the humanities-with marching orders to make some realistic recommendations for eliminating most of the numerous barriers or collateral consequences preventing millions of former prison inmates from being eligible to receive assistance from a variety of state and federal programs. And they would also make recommendations regarding the timely restoration of the civil and political rights of the former prison inmates.THE GOAL OF EVERYTHING DISCUSSED here is simply to protect the lives and property of law-abiding citizens. This new agenda isn't based on the false belief that the majority of criminal offenders are victims of a sick society or some psychological illness and therefore actually deserve all the programs and services advocated. There is nothing here to throb a bleeding heart. There is no assumption that everyone, deep down inside, is basically a good person. Rather the motivation, plain and simple, is the public interest. This new agenda is purely practical. Thus it holds the promise of bipartisan support.Compare this with the idealistic, unrealistic, impractical, and ideologically driven notion that sectarian faith is the answer. And understand that this new agenda requires no violation of or amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Moreover, it is consistent with the proud tradition of "American knowhow," "Yankee ingenuity," and that "can-do" spirit of rolling up one's sleeves to "get the job done."
Edited on 2005-12-01 13:21:31 by TrinFuff
Additions:
12/1
The most important material is in bold
Changing the Lives of Prisoners: a New Agenda
Lawrence T Jablecki. The Humanist. Washington, DC: Nov/Dec 2005.Vol.65, Iss. 6; pg. 30, 6 pgs
» Jump to full text
» Translate document into:
» More Like This - Find similar documents
Subjects: Recidivism, Crime prevention, Ex-convicts, Prisoners, Literature
Author(s): Lawrence T Jablecki
Document types: Feature
Publication title: The Humanist. Washington, DC: Nov/Dec 2005. Vol. 65, Iss. 6; pg. 30, 6 pgs
Source type: Periodical
ISSN/ISBN: 00187399
ProQuest document ID: 923216651
Text Word Count 2937
Document URL: http://proquest.umi.com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/pqdweb?did=923216651&sid=6&Fmt=4&clientId=9874&RQT=309&VName=PQD∞
Abstract (Document Summary)
Faith-based programs are not the only or best ways to integrate ex-convicts into society. Here, Jablecki discusses some rational alternatives with proven records of success that should be used in order to protect the lives and property of law-abiding citizens. Among other things, he notes that Changing Lives through Literature is a bold experiment that can be used as a paradigm for creating similar programs in both state and federal prisons.
Full Text (2937 words)
Copyright American Humanist Association Nov/Dec 2005 TODAY MORE THAN TWO MILLION people are incarcerated in state and federal prisons, 600,000 are released every year, and within three to five years 50 to 60 percent return to prison for committing new crimes or for violating their conditional releases. This deplorable rate of recidivism results in many thousands of new crime victims, the public response to which could lead to another era of billions spent on new prisons.In an ostensible effort to turn this situation around-to promote rehabilitation of inmates and reduction in recidivism-special faith-based prisons have sprung up over the past few years in California, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Minnesota, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, and other states. And the Corrections Corporation of America, which privately runs prisons for governments, has also jumped on the religious bandwagon. Funding for these programs, however, comes from state revenues distributed directly or indirectly to sectarian religious organizations. Because of this, such efforts engender obvious church-state entanglements. But there are problems with program effectiveness as well.For example, despite reported rehabilitation successes, not all prisoners are eligible to participate. In effect, only those most likely to change need apply, such as medium- to low-risk drug offenders. Thus we see millions of U.S. tax dollars being routed through religious organizations to salvage the lives of only a select few while doing little to change the lives of the vast majority of inmates, most of whom will eventually be released with or without some form of supervision.Beyond this, the much-touted positive outcomes are, at least in part, a product of counting the winners and ignoring the losers. "Graduating" from a faith-based program is often defined not only as sticking with a demanding course over a number of months but also getting a job after release. Since getting a job is itself among the most reliable predictors of a former inmate staying out of trouble, then the "proven" success of graduates has been demonstrated largely with circular logic. Participants who drop out, are kicked out, or who get early parole and don't finish usually aren't counted in program statistics at all.Because of all this, existing faith-based prisons offer insufficient evidence that "a Christ-centered biblically-based program" designed to root out sin is more effective than secular programs that use a therapeutic model of creating and restoring human relationships. Indeed, a number of secular approaches have well-documented success rates. So, if society wants to dramatically reduce the amount of serious crimes and social havoc perpetrated by former state and federal inmates, a new and more inclusive agenda is needed for changing lives and reducing recidivism.OPINION POLLS OF THE LAST SEVERAL years on crime and punishment in the United States demonstrate the consensus that two major consequences should occur in the lives of convicted criminals who are sentenced to prison. First, that the duration of their loss of freedom in society is for most of the sentence in real calendar time; and second, upon release they are "better" people. Increased prison capacity and the implementation of truth in sentencing are approximating the first demand. Presumably, a better person is understood to mean one whose thinking has been redirected or transformed during incarceration and who, following release, will be equipped to resist any temptation to return to a life of crime. There are no fairies to distribute magic wands to prison administrators to wave over the heads of inmates immediately prior to their release that will sprinkle virtue dust on them and transform them into better people. Enlarge 200%
Enlarge 400%
[Photograph]
The research data of the same opinion polls inform us that the "vast majority" of Americans believe that most prison inmates are capable of changing into law-abiding members of society and should during their incarceration be given a significant variety of opportunities for change. Therefore, a massive infusion of new funding into the annual budgets of the prison and parole components of all state and federal agencies is needed. Such prison program expenditures should be restricted to the following:The creation and expansion of general educational programs culminating in General Education Diplomas and high school diplomas and the creation and expansion of college and university programs in which inmates can earn undergraduate and graduate degrees. Though many, if not most, Americans have mixed feelings or are opposed to helping finance college or university degrees for prison inmates, the benefits of higher education for those who are capable is grounded in the research data of numerous evaluations, all of which verify that the recidivism rate of those who complete these programs is significantly less than for inmates who are released with lesser or no educational accomplishments. Of course, inmate opportunities shouldn't take anything away from any ordinary person who meets the eligibility criteria for educational grants and loans. In this connection, Congress should introduce legislation enabling prison inmates to receive Pell grants, which were previously discontinued when many in Congress were duped into believing that multitudes of needy and law-abiding citizens were being denied these grants because of awards to prison inmates.The creation and expansion of vocational programs, the completion of which would qualify inmates for good-paying employment in numerous blue-collar professions.The creation and expansion of counseling programs, staffed by well-qualified people, designed to meet the needs of those inmates with any substance abuse problem or psychological or psychiatric issue.The creation and expansion of visitation opportunities for families of inmates in order to strengthen and reestablish bonds of affection and support, which are of vital importance for successful reentry into communities.Just doing these things will go a long way toward more effectively promoting the rehabilitation of inmates and a reduction in recidivism.THEN IT'S TIME TO "think outside the box." With the aim of increasing the number of opportunities for all inmates eligible for release to participate in education programs capable of igniting the desire and strength of will to become a better person, a commitment should be made to Project Habilitation or Changing Lives through Literature.Project Habilitation entails the abandonment of the "myth of rehabilitation" in favor of a much more accurate account of the thinking and behavioral habits of the majority of prison inmates. The universally accepted definition of rehabilitation is to restore a person to a former state of good health or a useful and constructive purpose. But most of the people in our prisons have never developed habits of thinking and conduct conducive to living a law-abiding life. Instead, they think and act as if they and their immediate desires are the center of the universe around which all human life revolves. It would therefore be a serious mistake to rehabilitate them. Habilitation, by contrast, is the civilizing, educational, and life-transforming experience caused by the power of knowledge to grab a human mind and redirect the course of a person's life. More specifically, habilitation is a "spiritual conversion" to thinking and acting in compliance with the cardinal requirement of an ethical life: namely, that our civil society is a moral community in which all members are entitled to certain human rights and are bound by the obligation to respect the rights of others.Changing Lives through Literature is a bold experiment that can be used as a paradigm for creating similar programs in both state and federal prisons. It was designed in 1991 by Robert Waxier, a professor of English literature at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, and Robert Kane, a district court judge in New Bedford, Massachusetts, to serve as a sentencing option for recalcitrant male probationers facing the prospect of a prison sentence. Waxier made the highly unconventional request that the court "send a group of eight to ten of those bad guys to me at the university and I will introduce them to the transformative power of some of the great works of literature." Kane embraced the challenge and "go to school and read books or go to jail" became a new choice for some probationers in New Bedford. In 1992, following a meeting with Waxier and Kane, Jean Trounstine, a professor of humanities at Middlesex Community College in Lowell, Massachusetts, with the enthusiastic support of District Court Judge Joseph Dever, instituted a similar program for female probationers.The probationers selected for these programs aren't creamed from the group most likely to succeed but must demonstrate an eighth-grade reading level. The texts for the men's classes include The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, and Animal Farm by George Orwell. The texts for the women's classes include The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, and Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston.During its fourteen-year history this genuine revolution in criminal justice has spread to a significant number of other states, as well as to Canada and the United Kingdom. This is due largely to the indisputable findings of independent evaluations that numerous lives have been redirected in a crime-free path as a direct result of reading and discussing powerful presentations of the issues and questions endemic to the human condition. Qualified scholars in the humanities can assemble a long list of significant readings accessible to the mental abilities of most of the people incarcerated in our state and federal prisons.The successful implementation of these new initiatives, however, will require major changes in how we use some of our existing prison facilities, the criteria for the employment and retention of correctional officers, and the creation of new policies designed to reward inmates for good conduct and the completion of educational and vocational programs.First, most prisons are extremely noisy places. Some of them, and large sections of others, should be transformed into education units in which inmates are housed and can work, learn, and study in a quiet environment. second, we must follow the lead of those who are working to transform the culture of correctional staff into a real profession, requiring some post high school education and entitlement to higher annual salaries. Third, it is totally unrealistic to expect masses of inmates to decide to become better people in the absence of a substantial incentive. This is where we have another opportunity to "think outside the box" by initiating a bold plan to satisfy legitimate grievances of parole-eligible inmates and maintain protection of the public interest.INMATES ARE MORE LIKELY TO embrace educational and vocational programs and behave with civility if the following information is given to them in written form and fully explained during their orientation and evaluation as incoming prisoners:Every inmate, upon reaching eligibility for parole, is entitled to a public hearing administered by a three-member panel of parole commissioners. This panel will allow oral and written testimony from all parties in favor of or against the granting of parole. This means that victims and prosecutors will appear in some cases to protest the release of a violent and dangerous person. It also means that witnesses for the inmate-for example, spouses, children, parents, clergy, and teachers-will be given time to state why they are urging the panel to grant parole. Inmates shall have the right to address the panel from the witness stand in order to explain their accomplishments and how they have changed subsequent to incarceration. Inmates shall have the right to retain counsel to prepare their case and to guide them through their testimony.Any decision by the panel of parole commissioners would require two votes. Immediately following the admission of all testimony in a case, the members may vote and explain their judgment in the open hearing, or they may decide to take the matter under advisement for a period not to exceed thirty days. The hearing would then be reconvened, at which time each panel member would explain her or his vote to the inmate. This procedure is nearly equivalent to the inmate's trial at which evidence was presented, guilt was confessed or determined, and a sentence was imposed. In short, the critically important function of this procedure is that it steers clear of a nondiscretionary, mandatory release of inmates judged to be a continuing threat to society and encourages the decision makers to grant release to numerous inmates who, in the panel's judgment, have reached or are on their way to habilitation.In this connection, state governors will need to resist the temptation to appoint their own cronies to these important positions in the administration of criminal justice. Parole commissioners should be assigned a caseload with a minimum-maximum range and this become the benchmark for determining the number of such positions in every state. The minimum qualifications for appointment should be a four year degree from an accredited college or university, a documented knowledge of criminal justice, and a reputation for possessing the courage to express ones beliefs in a public forum. Appointments should be for a term of five years and eligibility restricted to two successive terms. These positions would be full time and earn an annual salary commensurate with responsibilities.WITH THESE RECOMMENDATIONS, however, the fact remains that some of the 600,000 people released annually from prisons are going to commit more crimes and spit defiantly in the face of any new policies and programs. There are no silver bullets armed with a guarantee to habilitate all of them. But we must not allow this grim and inevitable reality to derail our determination to stay the course. The inmates who complete counseling and vocational and education programs, and are nearing release, must be the focus of attention of the agencies charged with preparing them for reentry and with supervision following their release.Of interest in this regard is the fact that Texas is the birthplace of a paradigm that should be replicated and funded in every state and federal jurisdiction that supervises ex-offenders. It was in 1985 that a two-city experiment called Project RIO, the reintegration of offenders, was launched. The mission of this ambitious and optimistic state program was and is to provide job preparation services to prison inmates in order to give them a head start in the post-release search for employment. The project has been funded entirely by the states general revenues and "represents an unusual collaboration between two state agencies ... the Texas Workforce Commission (the state's employment agency) and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (Institutional and Parole Divisions)" And from its small beginning to the present, Project RIO has established a track record of assisting and finding employment for thousands of ex-offenders, documented a significantly lower recidivism rate than comparable groups of nonparticipants, and saved the state millions of real tax dollars.Given the publicly verified accomplishments of Project RIO and the potential for nationwide replication, there should be a national commitment to fund and a sufficient number of professional and support staff to:* provide a comprehensive j ob readiness orientation for all prison inmates within three to six months of their release* recruit and train a legion of non-paid volunteers to serve as mentors to inmates prior to and after their release* contact and recruit corporations, companies, and small business operations willing to hire ex-offenders* support changes in federal and state legislation to increase tax credits for those who hire ex-offenders.The lure of federal dollars, many tied to matching grants, should be used to entice the majority of states to set in motion the guts of this new agenda.Beyond the reintegration of the newly released comes the reintegration of the previously released. Toward this latter end, a governmental commission needs to be created-composed of some of the nation's most influential scholars in constitutional law, jurisprudence, criminal justice, and the humanities-with marching orders to make some realistic recommendations for eliminating most of the numerous barriers or collateral consequences preventing millions of former prison inmates from being eligible to receive assistance from a variety of state and federal programs. And they would also make recommendations regarding the timely restoration of the civil and political rights of the former prison inmates.THE GOAL OF EVERYTHING DISCUSSED here is simply to protect the lives and property of law-abiding citizens. This new agenda isn't based on the false belief that the majority of criminal offenders are victims of a sick society or some psychological illness and therefore actually deserve all the programs and services advocated. There is nothing here to throb a bleeding heart. There is no assumption that everyone, deep down inside, is basically a good person. Rather the motivation, plain and simple, is the public interest. This new agenda is purely practical. Thus it holds the promise of bipartisan support.Compare this with the idealistic, unrealistic, impractical, and ideologically driven notion that sectarian faith is the answer. And understand that this new agenda requires no violation of or amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Moreover, it is consistent with the proud tradition of "American knowhow," "Yankee ingenuity," and that "can-do" spirit of rolling up one's sleeves to "get the job done."
Edited on 2005-11-29 16:50:09 by TrinFuff
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"Changing the Lives of Prisoners." The Humanist 6 (2005). ProQuest. 28 Nov. 2005
<http://proquest.umi.com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/pqdweb?index=0&did=923216651&SrchMode=1&sid=6&Fmt=4&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1133235965&clientId=9874>∞.
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"Changing the Lives of Prisoners." The Humanist 6 (2005). ProQuest. 28 Nov. 2005 <http://proquest.umi.com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/pqdweb?index=0&did=923216651&SrchMode=1&sid=6&Fmt=4&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1133235965&clientId=9874>∞.
Edited on 2005-11-29 16:49:41 by TrinFuff
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11/29
"Changing the Lives of Prisoners." The Humanist 6 (2005). ProQuest. 28 Nov. 2005 <http://proquest.umi.com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/pqdweb?index=0&did=923216651&SrchMode=1&sid=6&Fmt=4&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1133235965&clientId=9874>∞.
"Just doing these things will go a long way toward more effectively promoting the rehabilitation of inmates and a reduction in recidivism" (Changing Lives).
WE'RE ALMOST DONE!!! This is a scary thought. The next week and a half is going to be hell, with three exams and two papers. I keep trying to take up my time doing more amusing activities than school work, but I guess I have to stop procrastinating, although it is extremely tempting. I am sitting here, pretending I have nothing to accomplish besides learning a new song on the guitar and watching the Steelers/Colts game, but I can only fool myself for so long. I have to start SOMETHING, because there are too many "something"s on my to-do list right now. Ok. I've convinced myself. Time to work!!
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WE'RE ALMOST DONE!!! This is a scary thought. The next week and a half is going to bee hell, with three exams and two papers. I keep trying to take up my time doing more amusing activities than school work, but I guess I have to stop procrastinating, although it is extremely tempting. I am sitting here, pretending I have nothing to accomplish besides learning a new song on the guitar and watching the Steelers/Colts game, but I can only fool myself for so long. I have to start SOMETHING, because there are too many "something"s on my to-do list right now. Ok. I've convinced myself. Time to work!!
Edited on 2005-11-28 22:27:30 by TrinFuff
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Edited on 2005-11-28 22:27:07 by TrinFuff
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11/28
WE'RE ALMOST DONE!!! This is a scary thought. The next week and a half is going to bee hell, with three exams and two papers. I keep trying to take up my time doing more amusing activities than school work, but I guess I have to stop procrastinating, although it is extremely tempting. I am sitting here, pretending I have nothing to accomplish besides learning a new song on the guitar and watching the Steelers/Colts game, but I can only fool myself for so long. I have to start SOMETHING, because there are too many "something"s on my to-do list right now. Ok. I've convinced myself. Time to work!!
Edited on 2005-11-19 23:46:20 by TrinFuff
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11/19
Today was a great day for Penn State but a terrible one for me. I was still terribly sick while I competed today, and I barely made it off the floor before blacking out. Yeah, it was bad. To make matters worse, we lost by NINE POINTS!! In the cheerleading world, that's like losing in double overtime. But, at least Penn State won. Everyone keeps trying to explain to me how it works from here on out, and who we want to win and who we want to lose, but I still don't get it. Just nod and smile, that's my motto. Anyway, I think the Benadryl is kicking in so I'm going to get to bed.
Edited on 2005-11-18 19:07:35 by TrinFuff
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Edited on 2005-11-18 19:07:21 by TrinFuff
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11/18
I woke up sick this morning. I'm not talking about itchy-throat, runny-nose sick. I'm talking about high-fever, everything-hurts, can't-move, feel-like-death sick. I just had an (alltogether) 16 hours of painful sleep. I missed all my classes, didn't go to work, and I still have to compete in Harrisburg tomorrow at the cheerleading competition. If I dont come back to class on Monday, it probably means that I didn't survive the weekend.
Edited on 2005-11-17 01:05:19 by TrinFuff
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11/16
So I haven't blogged in a while. It's been a very stressful week. I had my competition on sunday, and we placed third, which sucks. Although we didn't do our best, we had a week from hell with me and three other girls learning the routine so quick and having to switch a lot of stunts and tumbling passes around. As soon as that competition was over, I learned I have another this Saturday. Because of this, I've had practice every night and im exhausted. So I'm sorry if I seem like a zombie this week!!
Edited on 2005-11-10 10:23:17 by TrinFuff
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And, if that wasn't enough... http://eod.liquidviewer.com/wgr-od/wgr/20051102_morebruschi-1.wma∞
Edited on 2005-11-10 10:21:34 by TrinFuff
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http://eod.liquidviewer.com/wgr-od/wgr/20051031_bruschipbp-1.wma∞
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[[http://eod.liquidviewer.com/wgr-od/wgr/20051031_bruschipbp-1.wma∞ best moments∞]]
Edited on 2005-11-10 10:21:01 by TrinFuff
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11/10
I was having a quiet evening with my parents and the best chicken parmesan I have ever tasted until I got a call that ruined the rest of my week. The coach for my cheerleading squad was having a panic attack as she told me three girls on her senior team (senior team is ages 12-18, I'm on the open team, 18 and up) had quit and they have States (a HUGE competition) on sunday. That gives me four days to learn this routine. I would rather take all my finals tomorrow. And, to make matters worse, I'm front and center for every the jumps, the cheer, and the dance, and i JUST learned it all last night. Hopefully, the only way to go is up from here, because I know I've hit rock-bottom when it comes to crappy weeks.
On a lighter note, this is probably the funniest thing you will ever hear. EVER. And I'm even a pats fan!
[[http://eod.liquidviewer.com/wgr-od/wgr/20051031_bruschipbp-1.wma∞ best moments∞]]
Oldest known version of this page was edited on 2005-11-09 00:05:45 by VeritasBlog []
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11/8The Patriots just suffered a very (in my eyes) dissapointing loss to the Colts last night. I am beside myself with agony. Because I'm not in denial, I can say that this means there is virtually no chance the Pats will be in the Superbowl this year. Wow, it was hard to type that. I wore my Pats hat today around campus and had a lot of comments directed toward me by snickering guys. For instance, I was walking to my deviance class and one kid says to another, "so how bout them Colts?" I adjusted my hat, turned around, and stared. They guffawed for the next ten minutes as I walked in front of them. I have to say that even though it was a pretty solid win, it was a great game. We're just not the same team with all of the injuries this season, and Tedy can only do so much to bring back last year's Superbowl champs. Even though this is contradictory, I still have faith.
Yea I hear ya...this season hasn't been too good for the Eagles either.-Veritas
11/7
I'm halfway through reading the Why the Future Doesn't Need Us article and it made me think of when I went grocery shopping a few days ago at Giant. Giant, WalMart, and various stores now have self-check outs. All you have to do is scan your items, put them in the bag, and follow the directions given to you by a computerized voice. It was a little frustrating at first, but I've gotten the hang of it now. My roommate and I were self-scanning and talking about how odd it is that pretty soon there may not be a need for any cashiers in any stores. Video cameras, monitors, and sensors reduce shoplifting. You can scan an item into a machine if it is missing a price, and now, you can buy your items without an employee assisting you. WalMart employs millions of people. What will happen if, eventually, the company no longer needs their employees? It will only be costing them money to pay people to do something a computer will do for free. All of these people will be without jobs. If there is nothing for people to do to earn a living, where will that leave them? No one will have the money to buy anything these self-checkout stores are selling because they won't have jobs. The economy will crash, maybe never to return to its somewhat stable state. This, to me, is an extremely scary thought.
11/6
So I haven't blogged in a while. It was an extremely stressful week, and I'm sure many students will agree with me on this. I had two exams, one in Psych and one in Philosophy. OUCH. At least it's all over and done with. What I really can't believe is how far into the semester it is. Winter break is in a month. One month, and we'll be halfway through our freshman year. I'm still adjusting to the fact that I'm no longer a senior at the top of the high school food chain. Soon I'll have to come to grips with the fact that I'm not a freshman! Time really does fly.
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