Thank you all for your patience!! Your long awaited and anticipated blog assignment is just about upon us.
Dr. Johnson will be giving us some excellent questions for a reflection about the prison industrial complex as inspired by the "And Still We Rise" event and the web sites below.
For those who did not attend this event, we will ask you to respond to the information provided. For those who did, you will be drawing from the event itself as well to give feedback and insights to the rest of the group. The Congress Representatives will be doing a report out from Bonner Congress.
The questions will be posted during the meeting or directly after.
Thanks for your patience!!
Gretchen
******************************************************************************
******************************************************************************
DIRECTIONS:
http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/hardtime/index.html
http://www.correctionsproject.com/prisonmaps/intropart_frame.htm
Log on to the web site above. Spend at least 30 minutes exploring EACH of the sites . Answer the following in your blog post:
1. How would you explain the disproportionate incarceration rate for minority groups generally, and black males specifically, in America today?
2. What are the effects, on communities, families, and individuals, of incarceration?
3. What should be done to address the challenges of incarceration faced by communities, families, and individuals?
4. As a member of the Siena Franciscan Community, and a Siena Bonner Service Leader, how can you be an ally to, and imagine working to address the challenges faced by, formerly incarcerated people at some point in your Siena career?
Explore Fully!
Think Deeply!
Write Freely!
Drj.
13 comments:
Finding statistics and arguments about the laws and societal expectations that make the legal system unfair and stigmatize those who are incarcerated is relatively easy. Watching "And Still We Rise," however, provided real, qualitative first-hand examples of these systems in action. Every six months, "Eddie" would return to testify only to be sent back to jail for six months because he exhibited angry characteristics, but nobody ever explained to him what the problem was. Another man experienced the same thing because the man who he assaulted in an alcoholic rage never showed up in court. One woman had her son killed by his cousin who was in a gang, and feared losing her next son as a result.
Every story was equally gripping, and each actor told that story with so much passion that his or her vulnerability was absolutely moving. I took out of "And Still We Rise" that we must be socially conscious when talking about the justice system, thinking about the justice system or even using our vote. People are not "good" and "bad." The "bad" people don't go to jail to learn a lesson and then come home to start a renewed life. Instead, sociodemographic desperation and simple human issues like addiction often take hold, leading to an almost impossible journey of rehabilitation through a flawed prison system. Understanding these true stories is the first step toward reform.
If you did not attend "And Still We Rise" you missed out. Every story was different but every story tugged at the strings connected to your heart. After every person told their story there was a Q & A session, which I thought was even better than the actual play itself. The audience felt so connected to the people on stage. So many people we're speaking up, saying how inspired they were.
A lot of us don't deal with ex cons on a daily basis. It was really interesting to hear all the stories and hear how they actually felt. It was really touching for me. Eddie's story, which Ben mentioned, was really shocking for me. I couldn't believe that he was stuck in jail because the other man did not show up over and over again. I kept asking myself, how is that fair? Then I realized who said it has to be fair? Not everything is fair.
I attended the "And Still We Rise" performance last weekend and as Gretchen had told us about a month ago about it, it was an extremely powerful experience! It was an amazing performance the ex-prisoners and the victims family members did. At first, it was a bit confusing to get a clear mind set on considering I never really knew anything about incarceration. Each story was shocking and amazing how each individual presented their story. One of the woman, I can't remember her name was not incarcerated but she had two sons that had been murdered, and I believe one of them was shot right in front of her. This story really moved me because I can't even imagine what it would be like to lose two children and to have one child suffer the lose of his two brothers for the rest of his life. The other actor that really moved me was the man who had just got out of prison about a year ago and had been in prison for nearly 25 years, he is now 40 years old I believe. Thinking back on it, he went into jail at about the age of most of us bonners and is now back in a world which he is unfamiliar with. It is truly inspiring that these people tell there story to complete strangers and how they have changed there lives around through the guidance of being there for one another. I can't even begin to think of how scary it would be to come out of prison after 25 years, not knowing where to go or how to pay a bill or do anything along the lines of what a normal 40 year old man would be doing. It's like a rebirth, a chance for them to start over and I think each one of the actors stories can inspire others to "pay it forward" by helping those in need and whatever the case may be to give them the extra push they may need. I think I can speak for all of us who attended the play, that it is an experience we will have with us for the rest of our lives and as Dr. Johnson had told us at "And Still We Rise", that we are the ones to make the difference. We need to reach out to the youth of our generation to reduce incarceration and give them the guidance that is needed in order for this to be done.
1. Firstly, the disproportionate incarceration rate for minority groups can be explained by the shift from a so-called "Welfare State" to declaring war on Others. In this current system, the poor (who are overwhelmingly minorities) are sent to prisons or a part of the force supporting the prison systems.
2. Relationships are severed completely while incarcerated or at best put on long-term hold. Many formerly incarcerated people return to society with no money or idea of how to start fresh, finding "honest work," as Eddie describes it and cannot turn to their family members. Many loved ones shun the ex-con or are wrapped up in their own financial burderns (or environmental if they are still living in poverty). Eddie's experience was being ostrasized from his family with no leg up to re-establish himself into society. One performer from "And Still We Rise," spoke of her drug addictions and relapse caused her to be incarcerated and away from her two children, one of which has became involved in prostitution in her absense. Another young woman grieves the loss of her brother in jail and suffered a deep depression. Ex-convicts who are released need a support system to resocialize them to out-of-jail living, and since these services are not widly available, many relapse and turn to what they know/what is comfortable for them. If one of the main purpose of the prison system is rehabilitation, then they are definitely failing us. Currently, they operate using a punishment system (telling what NOT to do) and through studying psychology it is obvious that is ineffective. Instead a new desired behavior ought to be taught (through positive and negavtive reinforcement) in order to replace the negative behavior. So ultimately, the problems formerly incarcerated people face are also society's issues.
3. More organizations that aim to help formerly incarcerated people re-socialize to society is an important first step. But as many spoke of at "And Still We Rise," this is only a beginning step, or a barrier to break to reach the deeper issues. Then we have to fight to remove the barriers. Poverty and racism must be addressed and the focus must be the youth, since they are the next generation growing up in these terrible conditions. One person decalred, "Sick villages produce sick people." Also, the structure of the prison system must be addressed, since it benefits the wealthy corporations and individuals and hurts the poor and incarcerated. "For Profit Prisons" are a great example of how this branch of the system benefits the wealthy, instead of focusing on rehabilitaiton and helping those who are incarcerated recover.
4. By becomming educated on these issues as we aim to do right now, is the first step. As a result, I have developed a newfound empathy and curiosity for the incarcerated people and their battles. Many spoke of issues outside my realm of living (drug additions, physical & sexual abuse, prostitution, etc.), however I identified (as I think many can) with their personal struggles with identity, experiences of lonliness, depression and confusion and decisions to keep fighting or give up. At Siena, we can continue to raise this awareness of the unjust nature of our prison system.
1. How would you explain the disproportionate incarceration rate for minority groups generally, and black males specifically, in America today?
The shift in the disproportionate incarceration rate of minority groups can be explained by the welfare state. Currently, those who are a minority and also poor are sent to prisons or prison like places because they are speaking out.
2. What are the effects, on communities, families, and individuals, of incarceration?
There is a great strain on the relationships of those incarcerated with the outside world. Most minorities who have been incarcaretated have no one to turn to when they get out. They have no money and most of their families have no money either. These people also have to fight the stereotype of being an ex-con within their own community. They probably feel shameful and are not given a proper chance because people already have a image of what they are when that part of them could be in the past or maybe never even existed.
3. What should be done to address the challenges of incarceration faced by communities, families, and individuals?
To help their people there needs to be more support agencies that are specifically targeted to helping those who have been incarcerated. They need to be their right when the person come out of prison and they need to have a plan with regular checkins for some period after the person is released. We also have to work and change societies image of these people starting with the youth (most influential) because they will be the ones helping these people in the future.
4. As a member of the Siena Franciscan Community, and a Siena Bonner Service Leader, how can you be an ally to, and imagine working to address the challenges faced by, formerly incarcerated people at some point in your Siena career?
I think my opinion has changed a lot after being able to spend time on the websites and exploring true stories. I think that education and awareness is the best tool. I would want to spread this awareness because it is the one of the easier and effecteive ways to educate the mass population about the issue.
I attended the "And Still We Rise" performance last weekend. Honestly, going into it i had no idea what to expect. I knew that it was going to be people who were previously incarcerated telling their stories to us, which is something i have never experienced. Sitting in the audience i looked around before the show had started; i noticed that our little group of bonners were the what you could say 'outsiders' in the room. I am not even referring to the diversity of the room, im referring to the fact that each person seemed to be bantering back and forth about their experience with the justice system. their lives have been changed, mostly for the worst because they have been effected directly or indirectly by the criminal justice system. the extent of my experience with the legal system is like a parking ticket. the people not only on stage but a majority of the audience has spent time behind bars because of the life they have lived. Every story that was told during the show and even during the discussion after touched me. I felt that i wasnt looking at these men and women as criminals, but as people who now new how important each day is and how important each choice you make is.
Sitting behind us was a young man who stood up to talk during the post-show discussion. He told us how close he was to spending 5 years in a state prison. he is 17 going on 18 years old. i was taken back by this. he is my age! how can he live with the fact that he could be in jail for the next 5 years. i couldnt believe it.
as the men and women carried on about how unfair the justice system is, or how they called it "just-us" system, i thought about the fact that my older brother was a jail guard at the county prison back in new jersey. i dont know the stories of his inmates, but if its anything like what these people told us about- i hope my brother was not their enemy.
The actors of and stil we rise really touched me and im so glad i went to the show.
1) The change from the "Welfare State" to the "Prison State" that we see today is what seems to be the main cause of the problems we are facing today with over-incarceration and it's costs. I agree with Kendra in that those that are in poverty (which is mostly minority), are being sent to jail for first offenses. This leads to a downward spiral where those who go to jail come out worse off than before. Being homeless is bad, but being homeless and not being able to get a job because of your incarceration is extremely bad. In most cases, their chances for making a "clean" living through legal means are slim to none. This causes them to have to resort to illegal means of making a living, which more often than not, sends them back into the system once again. This negative cycle is a great concern as many people go through it and can't get out of it.
2) The effects of it do not only apply to the individual caught in the cycle, but all of those that he is connected to. Families are torn apart. Mothers and fathers are left single, with their children unable to know what it means to grow up with two loving parents, which everyone knows is the most successful way to raise a child. This can add more stress to the opposite parent and to the child. Due to the lack of a second income in a family, those left behind are then susceptible to the same injustices of poverty, debt, and system that separated their family in the first place.
3) Plain and simply, it seems as those the prison system needs to be reformed. I think that we should seriously way out the costs of the prison system in comparison to the costs of rehabilitation and treatment for those in question. Instead of sending a first time drug charge to prisons, send that individual to a rehabilitation center, where they are not treated the same way and are not as susceptible to the same things they would in prison. The money being wasted so that these criminals can come back out worse off than before is a great example of the wasteful spending that impact our economy.
4) As part of the Siena College Bonner Service Leaders we have the ability to raise awareness of this issue. We can look up reliable and safe reforms for the Prison System. like rehabilitations instead of prisons, and see the effects of such action. If it is indeed cheaper, and it is found to have a better impact that the current prison system then i absolutely think that reform is a necessity.
1. The disproportionate incarceration rate is due to the current welfare state. The poor are sent to prison on first offence crimes. Once a person is sent to jail, they have a really hard time re-adjusting back into life. Most suffer trying to get a job and get back onto their feet.
2. Incarnation affects so many people at once. Individuals are forced to change their whole life around. When someone gets out of jail, it is on their record. This makes it really hard for them to get jobs in the future. The families of these people suffer. They have to get use to a life without their loved one. Parents have to worry about who is going to take care of their children while they are gone. And once the individual gets back to their house, they have to try and fix or pick up the relationships that they left.
3. There needs to be more programs to help people once they get out of jail. These people need support systems and people who understand all the challenges they face. We have to work to change people’s opinion of the previously incarcerated.
4. Keri’s idea of education and awareness is a really good place to start. Others need to realize the challenges that these people face. They need a lot of help to become members of their community again. I think it would be really cool to get something like “And Still we Rise” on Siena’s campus. Since the Siena community is commonly very sheltered, a program like this on campus could really benefit the students and help raise awareness and educate.
1. The disproportionate incarceration rate for minority groups is due to todays beliefs that suffering and inequality are okay since our shift from "welfare state" to "prison state."
2. There is a significant change for ex-cons upon their return to society. Many may get out and find that what they once had is no longer there. Others may find that while they were in prison, a close friend or family member has passed away. None of this is taken into consideration when a person is released from prison. The system we have today is set up for failure. It seems as though due to the lack of resources that ex-cons are provided with, the cycle continues and they keep going back. This cycle seems to be inescapable.
There are also many effects on the families of the convicts. For example, a child may grow up lacking on parent, or sometimes even both. This can cause often times, single mothers to struggle to make ends meet.
3. Personally, I dont believe that I could come up with a solution. There is no way that I am capable of knowing what these people go through or how to address their situations. But, I sure would like to help wherever I could. I think that there needs to be more awareness created. I know that many times people think "oh my, hes an ex-con, he is gonna kill me." What many people don't realize is that you don't necessarily have to have killed someone to go to prison... there are various other reasons. I think society needs to be more aware that sometimes the system we have doesn't always operate the way that it should. These people that have been incarcerated can also have a heart. They aren't all terrible people. Events such as "And Still We Rise" (from what I've heard) should be done more often. I also think this awareness needs to start at a younger age, such as high school, maybe even junior high.
4. As a member of the Siena Franciscan Community, and a Siena Bonner Service Leader, how can you be an ally to, and imagine working to address the challenges faced by, formerly incarcerated people at some point in your Siena career?
I think becoming more educated on the system and figuring out the way things work is going to be a first step. I also think that attending these events such as "And Still We Rise" is very important and educational. I think we could work a little more closely with the Center for Law and Justice and maybe set up some sort of programming with them. Maybe we can have some sort of event co-partnered with them held at Siena to raise awareness.
1. The reason for this disproportionate rate is due to the shift from what is called "welfare state" to "prison state."
2. I come from a background where many of my friends and family have been in the penal system. After a certain amount of years they are not the same person they were when they went in. I call it becoming "institutionalized." The incarceration strains relationships with family and friends. From my own knowledge it is hard for them to adapt when they have been locked up for a certain amount of years. Times have changed and they can't handle it so they figure out a way to get locked up again.
3. First we need to get more outreach programs to keep our youth who are mainly getting jail time off the streets. If we can accomplish this then the rate will go down but it takes time. Next for those coming out of jail that have no home, no family, there should be transitional housing that will help them get a job, peer groups, and get back on their feet.
4. I need to go out there and instead of talking about things that need to be done, do them myself to help these people.
1. The reason for this disproportionate rate is due to the shift from what is called "welfare state" to "prison state."
2. The effects of one being incarcerated knows no boundaries: children, spouses, families’ income all are affected. The lack of a second income in a family, makes it even more difficult for those who were left behind. The circumstances that are presented to them make them even more susceptible to the same injustices of poverty, debt, and mischief.
3. Programs like Center for Law and Justice should be put in place so more “ex cons” can reap the benefits of the assisting program; when they come back to the real world where they need to get employed, and bring in a stable income so they do not go back down into the downward spiral.
4. As part of the Siena College Bonner Service Leaders we have the ability to raise awareness of this issue. We have the opportunity and power to make people aware. Awareness can and will bring about the change that is necessary.
I think that to determine why there is such a disproportionate rate of incarceration for minorities in America today has to do not so much with racial profiling as it does with socioeconomic classes. Our society is constructed in such a way that many of our minorities are living in a cycle of poverty that can often leads to difficult circumstances.
For individuals it is very difficult. When they are released from prison they often have no money and have to start over from scratch. Also when applying for jobs they have to let employers know that they are an excon which can potentially get them turned away from many jobs. For families it is very difficult to have a family member be put away. It is difficult emotionally and financially and often it produces a stigma that is attached to your entire family.
In my opinion we should have a program to help convicts transition back into everyday life. This program would help them reenter the workforce and give them a solid start to their new life.
As a Bonner I can imagine putting on an event or week long awareness event to help educate people on our campus of the issues of our prison system and also to potentially start programs to help excons come back into society ready for success.
Post a Comment