S.E. Ruckman’s article,Program aids newly released inmates, in Indian Country Today details a new program in which inmates can locate a job after they are released. This article starts off with an Indian inmate who applied for a reintegration program that set him up with a case lawyer who helped him out with the process of finding a job. After working within this program many months before his sentence was served, the case worker found him a job. This job consisted of working with food at Oral Roberts University as a kitchen employee. This man is now saving up in order to reinstate his license.
This program is only for tribal men and women. It has many positive effects such as setting up the members with bus passes, rent, and job referrals. Also, the program focuses on helping people adjust to life out of prison. They show the prisoners how to live in everyday society, so they do not end up in jail again. My question would be whether or not there are programs like this that help all different kinds of people. Are there programs that focus on Caucasians, Hispanics, and African Americans? This program seems that it would need a financial backer and I was wondering whether or not the government would back a program like this or if this was backed by a personal buyer? When I first read the article, I found it difficult to understand how only 5 percent of the people being helped in this program are women. After reading a little further into the article this quote came up, “women inmates mostly have children waiting for them on the outside.” I was confused at first because don’t women need to work to help support their family as well or does the program think that only men are supposed to be working. It seems a little biased to me because what are the women doing with their children while they are in jail. The children are in homes or with other family members and in order to give your children a good life you need to have some sort of financial status. So far only 250 have gone through this process, but the program is hoping to help many people through their rehabilitation process in the future.
2 comments:
The jobs for ex-convicts seems to be a great opportunity for Native Americas who have made some bad choices in life and wound up in prison. The idea of helping someone get back on their feet after prison is perfect. They help with everything from finding a job to helping learn how to set an alarm. It would be great if this could be developed some more to include more prisoners. I am sure that the prisoners would be less likely to commit multiple crimes. Dylan's idea about possibly having a government backing would be extremely beneficial. The prisons are overcrowded right now and this would help to alleviate the problem. Also, the money that the government uses for crime prevention and prisons could be put toward the reintegration program. It would wind up costing the government little to nothing because the reintegration funds would be balanced by the decrease in prison upkeep and crime prevent funds.
Helping an inmate transition from life in prison to life back in the real world is a good idea in that it reduces the chance that this person will end up back in prison. However, I think this program should be offered to all people who want the help, not only the few Native American tribes who offer it. Being in prison helps a lot of people change their ways of thinking and creates a mindset that would make them into better people, and they should be able to get a job after prison. Although job applications say that writing down any felonies that you have been convicted of will not be held against you in getting a job, I know just from where I have worked in the past that this is not true. A program like this could help people to have a better appearance and get a job. It is important for a person to get a second chance at living, and this program supports that.
I don't really understand the government backing issue, so I don't really know what to say about it.
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