Prison Processes Keep Prisoners Unproductive

  I remember studying about the Ray Krock philosophy years ago in my marketing class in college. It's the idea that when something works well, you normalize it through a documented process so it can be easily replicated. That's how Krock built an empire called McDonalds and revolutionized how Americans (and now others) eat. This philosophy works well in business, but it still requires adapting while regularly evaluating the effectiveness of established processes. 

The Michigan Department of Corrections also has processes that it documents, processes that are supposed to ensure the outcomes it desires. But people aren't burgers and fries. People have wishes, desires, goals, and emotions. People cannot be broken down into processes. And processes can also be used to excuse laziness. 

One of the most frustrating aspects of being in prison is the state of suspended existence that the system forces on people. It's like a deep trough we are tossed into and told "stay put!" We are urged to "follow the rules" but also discourged from upsetting the status quo with goals and purpose. We are directed, by policy and practice, to avoid trying too hard, feeding our creativity and desire to learn too much, or standing out in any way.  

Time and time again during my time in prison, I have seen prison administrators actively oppose programs or personal projects that prisoners initiate to better themselves and others. It upsets the status quo. Prison staff don't know what to do with prisoners who aren't content watching tv and playing chess or cards all day. It's not part of the documented program when prisoners want more from their lives than simply existing as near robots. 

Some staff members support prisoner efforts to better themselves, but this is often short-lived support. Staff members change and programs are shuttered, or higher ups squash what's happening. I've seen successful college prep programs shut down because administrators were concerned that prisoners were becoming too educated (their words, not mine). I've seen successful reentry and career readiness programs shut down because it was too much work for the staff and because some staff had grudges against a couple of the prisoners involved. I've also seen obstacle after obstacle erected against successful college programs because some staff members resent that prisoners are receiving a free college education. It's an affront to the demand that we know our place and stay in it. 

The reality is that some prisoners do use good programs to manipulate their way into positions of influence. But these are isolated cases that are easy to identify. Certain groups are almost always involved in such "takeovers." It's apparently easier, though, to use a blanket approach and to keep all prisoners from bettering themselves. It's a way prisons reinforce a message to prisoners that we are not redeemable, not worth the effort, and not worthy of making something of our broken lives. 

It gets discouraging when after every obstacle we face and overcome, another obstacle stands in the way. It's no wonder some prisoners give up trying after years. Prison sucks the motivation to do better right out of you. But it doesn't have to.

I regularly remind myself that good things rarely come easy. Some of the best things come out of struggles. I can only imagine the kind of successes I'll have after release from prison if I bring the tenacity that prison requires to the outside. I don't envision being a Ray Krock, but whatever I do I'll remember to put people over processes.

Educate Yourself on Criminal Justice Reform So You Can Advocate

 Over the last couple of decades, calls for criminal justice reform have grown louder and louder. The decades-long policies that led to America's mass incarceration problem have come under increased scrutiny, as these policies have largely been ineffective and have cost states and the federal government billions of wasted tax dollars. 

In Michigan, advocates have been fighting tirelessly to end life without parole sentences for juvenile offenders. Now, some advocates are pushing to expand the ban to include offenders up to 25 years of age due to new scientific evidence that brains are not fully developed until around age 25. 

Other advocates are fighting hard to reduce average sentences in Michigan, in part by re-introducing some form of good time or disciplinary credits. One organization leading this advocacy is Michigan Justice Advocacy (MJA). They are currently looking for people to support their efforts by signing a petition and by subscribing to their occasional email updates. I would like to urge my readers to do both at www.mijustice.org. You cannot know how to vote on referendums or how to encourage your legislator to vote on bills unless you stay informed. 

If you are interested in getting involved in advocacy yourself, you may volunteer your time with MJA. Just let them know of your availability. Also, The Adolescent Redemption Project (TARP) is sponsoring a criminal justice reform rally to end mass incarceration at the State Capitol in Lansing, Michigan on October 14 from noon to 3PM. You can learn more by visiting their website at www.AdolescentRedemptionProject.org.

While I am unable to visit these websites to fully vet them before recommending them, I support many of their goals regarding ending mass incarceration, mandatory life without parole sentences, and more. Staying informed is the first step to participating in critical reform movements, so do what you can to learn about these issues so you can vote responsibly when the time comes.

Understaffed Prisons Lead to Overstressed Officers

 The United States has a long and storied history of pouring money into failed institutions. America has long funded Amtrak, despite its failure to sustain enough income to fund its operations, let alone to be profitable. America also continues to pour money into the public school system, despite its epic failure (generally speaking) to provide a quality education over the last century. 

Like these two examples, government officials also believe that throwing more money at prisons will make them more effective, despite clear evidence of a failure to achieve this aim. Prisons don't make communities safer, and nationally they have a 66% failure rate at rehabilitating its charges (measured by its 5-year recidivism rate). It's clear that more money will not make prisons more effective at reducing crime rates. 

Right now, Michigan's prison system is, like many industries in America, struggling to find enough employees. Many people do not want to work in a prison environment, and I can't say that I blame them. Prison environments are toxic, and it's not even mostly because of the prisoners. 

We prisoners hear talk among staff, and we have learned to be very observant. We hear about new recruits (and not so new recruits) quitting, about mandatory overtime that is preventing staff from having a life outside of work, about sexual harassment in the workplace, about staff corruption going unchecked--or even worse defended. I'm sure many of these problems exist in other places too, but with the job market as hot as it is, who wants to work in a place like the Department of Corrections? I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. 

As a result of severe staff shortages, Michigan is spending ridiculous amounts of money on overtime, just to keep a required minimum number of staff at each prison. It's a tragic waste of taxpayer dollars, dollars that could be better spent on demonstrable improvements to people's lives. Michigan shouldn't have to decide whether we should be spending more money on overtime pay for prisons or to fix roads and bridges, to provide high speed internet access to rural areas, to address addiction epidemics, and to improve our education system so we can be competitive in world markets.

Lawmakers have an opportunity to make meaningful changes, first by bringing Michigan's sentencing in line with other midwestern states. Since Michigan has significantly higher average sentences AND has no good time, Michigan prisoners spend much more time in prison on average than prisoners in surrounding states. The legislature can change that by eliminating mandatory minimums, reducing average minimum sentences, and passing good time legislation. But they haven't taken action on these important measures thus far. 

If the legislature moves to make these important changes, Michigan could further reduce its prison population, resulting in closing unnecessary prisons and more funding to improve programs and education in prison. Such improvements may actually lead to lower recidivism rates, as studies have shown. It will also reduce the number of new staff members the department must find to become prison guards. 

Prison is a stressful place to live, but it is also a stressful place to work. I'm sure the potential dangers of working in a prison are stressful, but officers should not have to have their lives dictated by forced overtime and other policies that add unreasonable stress to their lives. The longer the Michigan legislature fails to take action that meaningfully reduces the prison population, the more stressed out officers will be and the more understaffed prisons will be. And that's just not good for any of us. 

Defunding the Police Advances Radical Political Philosophies

 I recently read that more than 80% of prisoners support the current movement to defund the police. I'm not entirely shocked by this statistic, but I do wonder how relevant it is. That's like polling poor people to find out if they support welfare programs. Of course, people who are likely to benefit the most are going to express support for programs or movements that sound appealing to them. Many prisoners likely believe that defunding the police would mean less accountability to authorities after leaving prison. 

To be fair, some prisoners may be simply reacting to frustrations over mishandled cases or police and judicial misconduct, experienced both personally and within their communities. It happens far more often than the general public thinks. Not all misconduct is intentional. Some is oversight or miscommunication. But since both police and prosecutors enjoy either qualified or absolute immunity, there is little to no accountability when misconduct is intentional. When the public is held to one standard of conduct but people in power are protected from those standards, it understandably creates animosity among those who are punished for their misconduct. 

Nevertheless, people who support calls to defund the police rarely think through the implications of such an action. Their support is, understandably, reactionary to police misconduct, corruption, and violence against members of the public. For people in minority communities, defunding the police may be especially appealing. These communities have historically suffered the most from police brutality. But these communities are now also suffering the most from the exploding rates of violence and murder in their cities due to reductions in police forces from funding cuts. Those who depend on protection from the police no longer have any reliable options to prevent, interrupt, avoid, or escape violence in their communities. 

We clearly need some drastic changes in how police are trained, what weapons they are supplied with, how they engage with communities, and especially in how (or if!) they are held legally accountable for misconduct. We also need more investment in prevention and treatment within communities rather than throwing more money at enforcement and imprisonment. Militarizing our police and increasing incarceration rates will not help keep communities safe nor help them heal. But let's also be clear about what the defund the police movement is. It is a movement that takes advantage of the tragedies experienced by some black families (like George Floyd's) in order to advance a Marxist agenda in this country. 

In a recent article in "The Abolitionist" (Summer 2021), the author reveals that in addition to expanding community-based safety strategies, "defunding the police is also an anti-capitalist organizing strategy." The author further notes that defunding the police means to strike at the root of socio-economic and political forces that have harmed, primarily, minority communities. 

Addressing socio-economic and political policies and practices that have historically disadvantaged or harmed minority communities is very important. Siphoning funding from schools to pay for policing and prisons is one such political policy that reinforces inequality and especially harms minority families and communities. But defunding or abolishing the police also harms families and communities, as skyrocketing violent crime in Portland, Oregon has shown over the last several months. 

Tragedies, such as George Floyd's death, should not be used as political weapons to advance political philosophies. The last time that happened in a major way, the 9/11 tragedy was used to justify stripping Americans from their Constitutional right to privacy through the over-reaching Patriot Act. 

We must address police brutality and America's obsession with incarceration as a primary strategy for addressing crime. But so far, criminals are the ones winning the war for our streets, not those who have a utopian vision of safe communities with no police presence.

Prison's a Time to Rebuild

 I'm a lifelong Cubs fan. I know, cue the jokes, but we Cubs fans are loyal, if nothing else. I thought this was shaping up to be a great year for Cubs baseball, but then the team fell apart. My favorite players were suddenly on the trading block. And traded they were. Four of the Cubs' best players. So much for this season. 

But, like other Cubs fans, I tell myself it's not a total loss. It's a rebuilding year, after all. Sometimes you've got to tear down and rebuild. Even history's wisest man recognized this when he said, "To everything there is a season...a time to break down, and a time to build up" (Eccl. 3:1, 3b). So, for the Cubs, this is a rebuilding season. 

Of course, baseball metaphors are fitting for many things, especially when it comes to rebuilding. Sometimes companies need to tear down and rebuild. Sometimes marriages need to tear down and rebuild. Same with other relationships. And sometimes people need to tear down and rebuild their own lives. 

People who are sent to prison don't usually intend to rebuild their lives. For many, recognizing the need to rebuild, even after being sent to prison, comes slowly, if at all. When that realization comes though, that's what is called "turning the corner." 

When a prisoner turns the corner, he acknowledges that many things about his life need to change. He recognizes the damage his current way of living has done to himself and others, and he commits to truly changing. Often, these changes are not minor tweaks. They are total rebuilds. 

Rebuilding one's life, after the major interruption of prison, requires tearing down some ways of thinking, some behaviors, and some attitudes. It might also require eliminating unhealthy relationships, addictions, and habitual patterns in one's life. But tearing down is only a part of turning the corner. 

As unhealthy and counterproductive thoughts, attitudes, and actions are purged from one's life, healthy replacements must also be put into place. Otherwise, you're left with a pile of rubble or an infertile wasteland. 

Rebuilding is painful, slow, and sometimes unsuccessful. The Cubs have tried rebuilding numerous times, but they've only won a single World Series in the last 113 years. So, rebuilding requires tenacity and courage. It requires pressing through the pain. And above all, it requires humility. 

It's difficult at times to admit that it's your own stinkin' thinkin' or bad behaviors that got you to where you are. It's so much easier to blame others, to blame society, your parents, or anyone else. But when you start making rebuilding moves, it means you've taken responsibility for your own outcomes. And very few people are in prison due to no fault of their own. 

I don't know if the Cubs' rebuilding will be successful this time. I'll continue to hold out hope. After all, this is a blog about hope. I also don't know if my own rebuilding will be successful. I certainly think it will be, but like the Cubs will undoubtedly have to do, I'll be making tweaks along the way. 

Only time and the pressures of life will reveal whether someone's efforts to rebuild their lives will be successful. There's nothing like a storm in life to reveal the cracks in one's foundation. But when humility, tenacity, and courage become a way of life, a rebuild is bound to hold up under stress. 

It takes a lot of hope to carry on through years of unrealized hopes and dreams. I've been in a rebuilding season for much of my 12 years so far in prison, and I suspect I'll still be rebuilding for years after leaving prison. I'm confident that I'll realize many of my hopes and dreams though. Discouragement is temporary, but hope is eternal. I am a Cubs fan, afterall.