I choose this community because of some of my past and present ties to it. I have both opinions and experience concerning my research question about the center. On almost a weekly basis I have contact with inmates there and frequently go in for meetings or to speak with some of the staff.
The Pre-Release Center has multiple goals on both sides of the fence, staff and inmates. Some are personal and some are community related. I think and hope that most of the goals are orientated toward the successful assimilation of inmates back into society. Sometimes the staff can seem unconnected and uncaring, only there to collect a paycheck. But mostly what I have seen is staff who are passionate and dedicated to success. Goals seem pretty similar when it comes to the inmate. Sometimes he seems that all he wants from life at the center is “three hots and a cot” which is jail slang for a place to shack up. But to meet one of these guys and watch them grow and change before your eyes in a 18 month period is a life changing experience in itself.
My research question is this, how effective is a pre-release center in the rehabilitation of a felony offender. This is a broad topic on which I could hardly cover in this paper effectively, but I will try to hit some key points which I believe to be crucial. These points are supported through observation, interview and experience. Also, I will use two specific inmates as examples, Mark and Joe. Their names have been changed for obvious reasons and I might add some of my own past experience also.
Conflict in this community is an issue that is almost impossible to avoid. Remember who we are talking about, the Department of Corrections of the State of Montana, and a group of men who have taken their criminal histories to a felony level. These men did not get where they are today because they are good at following rules. And it is the job of D.O.C. to see that they do. Right there that can be the making of conflict. But Pre-Release is not the first stop for most of these men, and if D.O.C. is doing their job properly, these inmates are already well on the road to rehabilitation.
I will start with Mark. He has been in the system for 3 years now. He was transferred from prison to pre-release about 16 months ago and had adapted to pre-release well. He has maintained a positive attitude throughout his stay there. He actively participates in this rehabilitation both in the center and in the community. Mark has on a daily basis made a choice to do something different, not to fall back into his old patterns. Mark has a release date pending and will most likely be a positive member in any community.
Joe, on the other hand, has been in this center more than once. Although, Joe and Mark’s total time in the system differs by about one and half years, Joe has had a more difficult time with it. Therefore, he has been at it longer. Both of their backgrounds are similar, and their felony charges are identical, Felony DUI. When I met Joe about three years ago he was on his first trip through pre-release. He reminded me a lot of how Mark is today, willing to change, positive and active in his rehab. Then a few months into the program he started complaining about this or that. His outlook became bleak rapidly. Less than eight months into his program he broke the law and was sent back to prison.
I am not really clear on all the circumstances surrounding Joe’s story. I know that he has been back at the center for a few months now. He seems positive and seems to be active in his rehab. He is actually spending a lot of time around Mark. What is the difference between Mark and Joe?
When it comes to the pre-release center staff and authority, Joe always had a negative comment. Someone there was always doing something wrong. On the subject of the other inmates, he just couldn’t get along with them. Mark, on the other hand, navigated both the staff and the other inmates practically incident free. So in the case of Mark, he has been successful in his rehab and is about to reap the benefits, Freedom. Joe is starting over on a 12 to 18 month program. Hopefully with different results this time.
It is extremely difficult to be in a position under close scrutiny and authority. I know from talking with these men and lots of other men and women in this situation. Jail, prisons, and pre-release centers are some of the toughest places I know. The majority of the men and women in these institutions are addicted to alcohol and or drugs; have been victimized horribly as children and have gotten caught up in a cycle that is incredibly hard to change on their own. In that situation, I think, these institutions are an excellent tool in rehabilitation.
A large percentage of the inmates struggle with some of the most basic skills needed to get along in society. Lack of literacy, job seeking skills and even personal hygiene and cooking for themselves are all addressed in the programs available to them and treatment for addiction is a priority. Sometimes I think society itself is one of a inmates biggest hurdles. Instead of viewing most of these inmates as individuals who made some poor choices on the road of life, we citizens tend to be quite judgemental. We tend to clump all felony offenders together instead of looking at them each as an individual, case by case. This is one of the primary objectives at the Pre-Release Center.
So in conclusion, what does this all mean? I think we need to work harder at rehabilitation of these men and women. In Mark’s case the system is 100% effective but put Mark and Joe together and it most likely drops to 50%. But if we just lock them up and pitch the key, Joe and Mark wouldn’t be in recovery together today. If a man or woman wants to participate in their own rehab, we need a place for them to do so and be successful at it
Many may say lock’em up, but be cautious where you throw that rock. The fact is that you may very well hit someone close to you. Someone you care about, a brother or a sister, uncle, grandmother or maybe your unborn. Another reason to rehabilitate is one way or another you and I will pay for this, through medical costs, insurances premiums and law enforcement, the list is ongoing. The right choice is compassion for each other.
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