Final Argument

Colorado Business Owners’ Involvement in Rehabilitation Programs for Criminals

(One in 100 behind bars in America 2008).
The current incarceration system in the United States is not effectively fulfilling its purpose as an institution to take criminals out of society and return them as lawful, productive citizens. The success of correction facilities can be based upon the recidivism rates of criminals, or the number of inmates who are recommitted for the same crimes (Esperian). The United States has one of the highest rates of incarceration and recidivism in the world (Petersilia). These two factors combine to result in the need for great widespread change within the system. There have been many different programs that have been utilized in the past to combat this dreadful tendency, but there are very few and they are severely under funded. Such programs to help criminals develop skills while incarcerated have proven incredibly useful and beneficial not only for the criminals, but also for society. Yet it is not only the responsibility of the government or charitable institutions to provide funding for these programs, but rather American citizens like you. In order to improve the incarceration system in the United States, and more specifically in Colorado, programs that provide criminals with skills in construction or farming while in prison, and those that aid in their reintegration back into society once released are necessary for the improvement of the current incarceration system in our country. These programs can only be effective if they are initiated with the cooperation of business owners and entrepreneurs in the area to which criminals are being released.
Mark Halsey, a professor of criminology, did a four-year study interviewing inmates who found themselves repeatedly incarcerated. One of the greatest reasons behind repeated offence was described in an interview with a participant in the study. When asked what the first thing he did when released, the participant answered “The first day I got out I done crime… Done another motor vehicle high-speed chase.” His reply to a second question pertaining to the reason why that happened was that “I didn’t have… much support, like. [Of the last two and a bit years] I’ve spent 132 days out in the community and 650 days incarcerated (Halsey, 1210).” This two answers clearly depict the need for wider involvement in the current incarceration system.
The first step to developing a better system is to decrease the amount of money spent on criminals through training them to work jobs that would provide them with applicable skills once they return to society. By training inmates to be effective workers, the incarceration system is able to actually sustain a profit from the work done. The Colorado Department of Corrections has a program providing inmates with apprenticeship opportunities to learn trades in cabinet making, baking and upholstery (Inmate Apprenticeship Program). Yet there are also programs in which concerned citizens like you can become directly involved. One such program can be found in Central Valley, California, where inmates are trained and employed at an almond farm. This program is incredibly beneficial for not only the inmates, but also the state’s government. Instead of simply spending money to house and feed and secure thousands of criminals, the government is able to gain profits from the work the inmates are engaged in daily. This program develops skills in inmates that can be easily utilized once released into society and it also provides inmates with a sense of accomplishment or satisfaction while incarcerated. The abilities learned on the almond farm included the use of power tools, trucks, irrigation techniques and various other farming skills. This program has proven to be incredibly beneficial to the many parties involved and works directly to the inmates’ advantage in the long run (California Heartland). The inmates are more satisfied with their lives and confident that once released, they can emerge as citizens capable in the workforce. Such a difference simply took the involvement of almond farmers in the area and their willingness to take a risk in employing incarcerated criminals.
The current methods of incarceration are only for punishment rather than rehabilitation (Perkinson). This results in criminals reentering society, in many cases, having learned nothing through their experiences. Despite the apparent benefit derived from programs to combat these trends, there are many obstacles to their implementation. With a government that is already overspending, it is the responsibility of those citizens that are directly affected by the unsuccessful incarceration of so many. With cooperation from local businesses and farms, programs such as the almond farm in California can continue to spread and develop the skills that inmates need to reenter into society as useful citizens. This would be beneficial not only to the inmates, but also to you. With some risk involved, profits can be gained from aiding in programs to work with inmates while they are still incarcerated. As a state with almost fifty percent of land used in agriculture, the opportunities are great to increase benefits for both farmers and inmates (Colorado Fact Sheet). The potential for a viable workforce in the form of inmates is immense. Taxpayers’ money that is being used to house, clothe and feed inmates that are not being productive could be used to improve healthcare and education systems in the state of Colorado. With the implementation of programs to help decrease these costs, you could make a difference for the betterment of your own lifestyles.
The second step to improving the current system is to provide inmates with programs to help reintegrate them into society right before and after they are released. The main problem with the way in which criminals are treated is the lack of help received once they have been released from the system. They are often provided with very little, and they are left to fend for themselves after having been removed from society for a set amount of time. This evidently results in a high level of recidivism among former inmates due to a lack of resources available to those accustomed to a life of crime. One program effectively combating these trends is Prodigal Sons and Daughters in Rochester, New York, which helps to rehabilitate criminals through finding them jobs and housing in the area. They also have programs to help with counseling the inmates prior to their release (Sorrentino). Without effective guidance and aid, recently released criminals will often return to their previous lives of crime. By finding them housing, which is hard to access for ex-convicts, and jobs to create a stable lifestyle, criminals will be much more able to reintegrate into society than if left to survive in society with no support. As a society that seems to value incarceration as an effective solution to crime, the method in which it is carried out should be drastically modified if any change is to be instilled in the lives of those caught in crime. The instigation of these programs takes many resources, but it also takes great cooperation from the business owners and employers in the areas in which they are mostly found. The benefits are great, as every dollar spent towards programs such as these saves between four to seven dollars in correctional industries and education and drug programs (Tercilla and Breazzano). Yet, the effectiveness of these programs depends upon the compliance of citizens like you to take the chance in employing former inmates.
As business owners in Colorado, you have the power to help in this situation. The greatest obstacle to improving the current incarceration is the willingness of business owners to get involved in the system. Employment while serving their sentences increases the probability that inmates will have skills to contribute to future jobs. As seen the in the California Heartland example, it was the involvement of almond farmers that resulted in profit gains for multiple parties. By involving yourselves in programs that give inmates the chance to improve themselves, you would be not only benefiting the situation of a huge population, but also aiding in a decrease of spending for the Colorado State government through a reduction of repeated offenders. By employing former inmates or allowing them to live in your housing units once they are released, you would be giving former criminals a chance to start a new life once they return to live in society. While programs exist to help change the current levels of recidivism, studies taken in Texas show that it is only with viable employment that the high levels of recidivism can be decreased (Gonzalez, Romero, and Cerbana). The current reluctance for involvement in these programs is often a lack of knowledge about the great need. Yet you now have the knowledge to make a decision. Once released from prison, inmates have little to survive on, and often resort to depending on family members or the avenues that initially led to their incarceration (Thompson and Cummings). I do admit that the risks in involving yourself in programs such as these are great. There is the possibility for loss of property and profits; but the benefits to the wider population affected by the current levels of recidivism are greater. To counter these reasons preventing you from getting involved, there are tax benefits given to business owners in the state of Colorado that are willing to take the risk of employing former inmates (H.I.R.E. Resources and Assistance). With an incarceration system that releases inmates only to have them return after only a short time, a change must be initiated, and you have the power to facilitate this change.
By taking part in these solutions to prove inmates with skills while incarcerated and support once released, you will be instrumental in changing the incarceration system in the United States and specifically Colorado into an effective tool for rehabilitating criminals. Instead of simply locking prisoners away to contemplate their past lives and perhaps grow resentful towards the society that placed them there, steps should be taken to improve their situations in life. Programs to provide inmates with skills through steady employment while in jail will provide them with the character and abilities to succeed in employment outside the jail system. Your participation in these programs is crucial. It is only with the decision to help made by business owners like you that any difference has been made in the past, and you can continue to make a difference with a decision to help now. Programs to help inmates with the adjustment period directly before and after release are also influential in creating better citizens out of ex-criminals. It is within your power to provide these struggling citizens with housing and employment opportunities that are frequently denied them. Without change in the system and in the cooperation of those who have the power to make a difference, the current incarceration system is not sustainable. It is expensive yet ineffective, but with the endorsement of programs such as these and direct involvement from the business owners in Colorado, great success will be found in changing a system that locks many away and releases people, only to have them return charged with new crimes of a like nature.
The conclusion to Halsey’s study was that “the process of desisting from crime should be a shared responsibility involving the young person, government departments, and the more informal networks of support” (Halsey, 1257). In response to the question of what he would do once released and how he would do it, one participant responded with the answer, “[I will] get a Job. Cause now I got everything I need, my resume, my certificates, metalwork certificates… computing skills, typing skills (Halsey, 1217).” His life of crime was a thing of the past because he had hope for a job in the future with his new sets of skills gained while incarcerated.