The Informant

by Richard

Recently, I watched a news report decrying the fact that there are hundreds of formerly convicted felons working as in-home caregivers–they assist the disabled in managing daily life. The reporter stated that Governor Schwarzenegger wanted the legislature to pass a law that would protect disabled people from possible abuse at the hands of individuals with a criminal history. In essence, he wanted to make it impossible for formerly incarcerated individuals to work in the in-home health care field in California. I’m all for protecting people, especially those unable to protect themselves from abuse or neglect, but what about those formerly convicted individuals who have served their sentences: are they to be punished for the rest of their lives and for the crimes of others?

I grew up hearing and believing in the maxims of our culture: “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise;” or “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush;” and the subject of my observations, “He’s (or she’s) paid his debt to society.” These truisms were taught to us beginning in our youngest years, but, it seems that in this era of ‘tough on crime’ legislation, those of us that have once committed a crime and served our sentences will never pay our debts to society: we are condemned to a lifetime of retribution and punishment. This doctrine cripples not only those who have been convicted of a past crime, but society as well.

Formerly incarcerated individuals find themselves increasingly excluded from participating in large sectors of the workforce. Law enforcement, finance, much of the medical field, the military, education, local, state, and federal government, and positions dealing with sensitive national security issues are all off limits to men and women possessing a criminal record.

Is it any wonder why there is an 80 percent recidivism rate for convicted felons in California? Does anybody care that the costs for what is euphemistically called “corrections” in California continues to climb (currently it costs between $10-14 billion per year to maintain our prisons) while social services like food stamps, in-home care for the disabled, and public education are cut to the bone?

Does anyone know why we are currently $20 billion in debt? It’s because our elected officials embarked on a prison building spree in the 80′s and 90′s by passing bond measures nobody voted on. Now those bond payments are coming due–with interest! Every time a horrific crime was blasted in the media, our elected officials reacted with outrage. “Lock them up!” was the battle cry. “We need more prisons and more guards.” But who gave thought to what to do with the former prisoners after they’d served their time?

“Lock them up some more,” seems to be their only solution. The results have been a long time coming, but they have finally arrived in the form of deep cuts to everything but prisons. It can’t continue much longer, and unless the ways in which we deal with formerly incarcerated individuals changes, the costs to society will remain enormous.

Of course, I believe a man or a woman should succeed or fair via his or her own merits. Everybody deserves a second chance. Once a formerly incarcerated individual has served their time, they should be allowed to demonstrate that they are ready and able to participate in every aspect of society. One step in this direction would be a cooperative effort on the part of private industry, government agencies, and non-profit entities to provide education, training, and employment for formerly incarcerated individuals. Entities like these could guarantee entry-level positions and comprehensive supervision and support to monitor an employee’s behavior and detect any potential problems before they arise. Ideally, after completing a probationary period, the new employee would be able to ascend in job-status and responsibility.

The obvious advantage to this idea is that an ex-convict that is working is contributing to society, not draining resources that could be better spent elsewhere.

Find more stories from inmates at the San Quentin News.