Prison Reform

By Steve Gordon

The Forum For Understanding Prisons out of Wisconsin is working towards prison reform. The current issue is keeping older prisoners incarcerated. With nationwide prison overcrowding this makes even more sense now than ever before. It isn't a new proposal, just one that has fallen on deaf ears in government and corrections in the past and it is being revisited.

I was 63-years-old when I was released from prison after serving 10 years. I had family and friends for support, a place to go to live, a car to drive, some money in a savings account, and I was generally in good health in spite of the minimal health care in prison. I don't think that is the norm. Unfortunately I do not have a stack of statistics or results of studies to justify that keeping older prisoners is costly, and for the most part unproductive, but I think that FFUP is targeting a just cause.

It actually is common sense if you think about it.

1. Financial - It costs more for medical care for older prisoners.
2. General Living Conditions - Older prisoners sometimes require special circumstances such as lower bunk status or even single cell status.
3. Safety - The recidivism rate, or the likely hood of older prisoners committing more crimes is minimal if only from a physical aspect let alone from a more mature attitude toward respecting the laws and the rights of other citizens.

It doesn't take much to figure out that older prisoners are likely to have more ailments and will require more medications. There are also visits to outside specialists and medical facilities for care that prison medical facilities are not equipped to deal and which increases the costs of care. Even without the above there is just more time required by prison medical staff for treatments and general wellness care for older prisoners and none of this takes dental care into consideration.

Prison isn't suppose to be comfortable, but prison conditions in general are not conducive for a comfortable/humane environment for many older prisoners who will develop arthritis and other ailments related to aging. Cold damp cells accelerate and aggravate these things. Stress doesn't help either. Further, hard metal bunks (with a thin mattress) as well as hard wood or metal seats/stools with no back support just aren't appropriate for older prisoners who develop lower back problems.

While all meals are (minimally) sufficient nutritionally, older prisoners dietary needs are different than younger men and women. All prisons do have measures to address this but I would suggest that it is different from prison to prison based on the physical capabilities of each facility.

Any vitamin supplements an older prisoner would take he would be required to purchase with his own money. That would be money earned from a prison job or sent in from family or friends outside, if he has those people. The sidebar to that is older prisoners lose family and such and at some point there may not be anyone outside. Aside from the financial aspect, it lessens his or her options for where they would go to restart their lives.

The safety to society and the community however is the bottom line. Without question there are older prisoners who do not deserve or belong outside of prison. But there are many studies that show the rate of recidivism for older prisoners is minimal at best, one of the lowest percentages actually. Just the other day I was listening to the music of Les Miserables and wondering if many of us (older ex-offenders) have a little Jean Valjean within us?

I just feel I need to highlight some issues and you can draw your own conclusions. Below are some comments made by the FFUP on its Facebook page:

"FFUP is consulting with legislators, 2 law schools, several judges to put together a bill that give a viable path for release for the 1600 prisoners over the age of 55 who have been eligible for parole for many years and are stuck in limbo. This bill will help solve a growing national crisis inside our prisons caused by our nation's refusal to acknowledge that people do change and many deserve a second chance. Elderly prisoners are 3 times more expensive to house that younger prisoners, have a 2 percent recidivism rate. Prisons are not set up to house them humanely. With robust screening and placement and then a hearing before sentencing judge, our bill begins to address this problem : see
Elderly Release Bill- A work in progress"

I would also like to include excerpts a couple comments on the above post:

"You can scream and yell all you want but getting some to listen, someone who might have the capacity to initiate change...positive change...then having it acted on is the barrier. Like government, corrections moves at a snails pace."

"Only those that dare to see the "invisible" can do the "Impossible."

"GOD has created us to make a mark, to make a positive difference for the time we have here. 11 years ago, my severally mentally ill brother was an accessory to a Crime (was mentally ill at age 14) where he was a Victim himself. To the publics' eye, he should be put away and not receive the medical treatment he needs to receive healing mentally, physically, as well as spiritually. He is ONE OF MANY that I speak for of the injustices that take place every day in our current PRISON System. Sadly, many do not know how or want to get personally involved. America makes up a mere 3-5 percent of the worlds population, yet approx. 25 percent of our men and women are in some sort of Prison and/or jail. Who will stand up and speak for those that have no voice? Who will be the voice? A stranger on a plane reminded me recently, that IF it was easy, "everyone would be doing it." That it takes a brave strong individual to begin to make change. With God's help may I be that change.
"Speak up for those that can not speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute."
Proverbs 31:8"

"This work can be rather hard on the heart and soul of good people. Rarely do you get someone who can look the truth in the face and keep on fighting. The truth is horrific, but the public wants to think differently, to keep the "tough on crime" mentality alive.
Fear is a huge "obstacle" for many good hearted people."
 
To read more about the FFUP on this and other issues go to these links:

https://www.facebook.com/mrs.efleming/posts/4895756638976?comment_id=5383368&ref=notif&notif_t=like#!/prisonforum?fref=ts

http://forumforunderstandingprisons.net/