INSIDE PERSPECTIVE

Dear Incarcerated Population,

We, here at Society-First, would like to present our vision to the inmate population as we are a newly formed organization that seeks to bring true reform to the world around us, including the incarcerated. Unlike many of the other reform advocates, Society-First's primary focus is identifying the reforms that will put society first.
 

We do believe that most everyone who strive to amend for wrongs they once committed deserves an opportunity to find such redemption, and though we put society first this does not mean we put the incarcerated last. It is our belief that our system is broken, and the need for progressive reform is without question.
 

Mass incarceration has provided no answer to ending society's victimization, and it is SF's goal to be a platform that brings true meaningful reform. We do not believe imprisoning someone for the rest of their life does anything productive for anyone, not even the victim. We are proponents of restorative justice and victim awareness, and believe that forgiveness is an essential part in changing the darkest parts of our world.
 

We ask that you have your love ones log onto society-first.com, and help us bring home all that has fought hard to become something better in life. After they view our site they can send our content to you, and through our "Inside Perspective" link we ask you to send us your testimonies and any ideas you may have in reforming the system.
 

This specific link is designed to give society an inside perspective from the mind of the incarcerated on the issues you think concerns society, and how you would change them. As we depend on "word of mouth" to generate our publicity, we ask you to circulate Society-First to everyone you know.
 

Society-First believes that no matter what one has done in the past, together we are the solution for the future. We look forward to hearing from both you and your love ones.
 

Sincerely,
Society-First

Dear Society,

My heart has been troubled with something missing in the present movement for criminal justice reform... a movement to end mass incarceration.

I see the recommendations for specialized courts, the end to mandatory minimums, leniency for juveniles, and compassion for the elderly and the sick. All noteworthy reforms that need to be addressed, that I do not dispute.

Unfortunately, these are "band-aid reforms" that won't heal the gaping wound that afflicts our society as a whole. Such reforms alienates those who have proved to be the most amendable to change... those who have long term sentences, and who (in many cases) fall under the label of violent offender.

I see the barbaric atrocities that play out in prison everyday...the labeled "non-violent" offender who takes a cold piece of sharpened steel and sinks it into another... the "non-violent" gang members who invoke fear and terror in all that are around them... the "non-violent" addicts that lie, steal, and use violence to feed their habits.

These are the people that are being recommended to be released back out to society, while others who exemplify redemptive qualities have no recourse. I am sure that it's easier to act as, if these alleged dregs of society are not your mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters.

I understand it's easier to deny that they have any redeemable qualities, or that they would hold any redemptive opportunity in the highest regard. To deny that they were men and woman who had businesses and vocations that were successful and relevant, but due to some infraction, poor decision, or heat of passion, did something out of character.

I get it, it's easier to not even think about those who once hurt you... easier to deny them an opportunity to correct past wrongs... even wrongs that cannot be corrected, yet to deny this would deny some of the most powerful forces that has changed the world... forgiveness... redemption... hope.

I look at the Ready Or Not proposal and see a thorough, comprehensive plan of action that brings about true reform. One that will save billions of dollars in taxpayer's money, while also changing a culture that has decimated our world.

The idea of Incentivized Parole and Incentivized Prisons will organically change not only the world in prison, but also the world outside of prison as those who re-enter society will be positive (instead of negative) influences on the world.

The Ready Or Not proposal (or something like it) is true reform in that the legislature need not stress the restructuring of decades old complex sentencing statutes, as it would give pardoning power over any mandatory minimum, juvenile, elderly, sick, first-time offender, veteran, and any other specialized category of offender, who is a proven product of change.

The concern should not be whether an offender is labeled as violent, or non-violent, but whether they are Ready...Or Not to be released back into society.

Sincerely,
Anonymous 

I look back over my life and see how every path branches out from a single night 23 years ago when I was an 18-year-old kid. A night that not only altered my life but the lives of so many other people. It would be a night that would create a perpetual nightmare in the minds of all who lived it... a nightmare that whispers it can never be awoken from.

In all these years, I have tenaciously fought to silence that whisper as I refuse to accept that my end started at my beginning. When it comes to life, I've always sought out something that gives my existence meaning, and purpose beyond simply existing. To me, it is universal that humans are the only thing in existence that is not alright with simply just existing... We all need something beyond just being and will self-destruct when we can't find it.

What should happen when one does self-destruct? Do they deserve an ending that holds no hope, believing that one should succumb to life's biggest mistakes? Should they believe that there is no redemption in this life from past failure? Should they embrace defeat? Accept nothing more than their very worst? I should hope not for where does hope reside in any of that?

For me, this life has always been about those around me, even in the darkest days of my adolescence, it was about everyone around me. The only problem was I didn't know how to handle the pressures that came with it all, and everything would spin totally out of control. I would go from being one of the main youth members in my church to being responsible for taking an innocent man's life... all in just a year at the age of 18 years old. 

I would go down such a vehemently fast water slide of events that it was impossible to grab the side of rationality. Ideally, it should have been no problem, but the reality is there was nothing ideal about sliding down into a pool of numbness... of running away from the thoughts that brought the memories... that brought the pain, sorrow, and loneliness... that brought the panic, anger, and worthlessness to the forefront of reality, destroying all rationality of the ideal world.

I would go through a series of events that went from finding where I belonged in life to having every foundational piece of belonging ripped away from me in a blink of an eye. It went from, finally, living in one place for more than a year (we moved over 20 times in 18 years)... to belong to a church family that gave me an identity in Christ that changed my life... to playing high school football (something that I was good at, and had always dreamed of going pro)... to falling in love (high school sweetheart)... to all identity lost as my immediate life would instantly flip upside down by losing my love, my school, my church, my football dreams, and most of all... my mother.

The following events threw me into a vortex of numb and distorted reality:
a.) Being caught by my girlfriend's mom after homecoming dance messing around in the car (we were both still virgins and didn't have sex, but we went over the line),
b.) being told that we could no longer see each other,
c.) being told that either I left the school and church, or her mom would remove her from both,
d.) me leaving both church and school (I would never do anything to hurt her),
e.) only having non-schoolers (those who dropped out for some reason or another) to surround me (the majority of non-schoolers were dysfunctional, involved in alcohol and drugs),
f.) trying to work and figure out "what now", failing miserably in identifying where my life was supposed to go,
g.) bouncing from place to place trying to find where I belonged,
h.) beginning to party (mostly drinking and some marijuana smoking) with those who found themselves on the same aimless journey that I was on,
i.) getting arrested and going to a juvenile program for taking a car phone from a neighboring vehicle one night walking back from a party with a friend (it was given back),
j.) my mother (who had been my best friend my whole life) breaking her neck in a pool accident and passing away,
k.) my church coming to the hospital asking if I would go to Bible college if they sent me (they never came to check up on me after that day),
l.) the juvenile program letting me go early to be with my family,
m.) received a life insurance policy from my mother's death, which gave me the money to escape the pain, loneliness, and ever consuming sorrow that tore at me so relentlessly (so I thought),
n.) surrounding myself with partying, drugging, drinking, and new "friends" who did not remind me of the pain of my past,
o.) began seeing this girl who lived far away from the island I grew up on (Pine Island, a small island right above Sanibel Island),
p.) moved close to her and far away from everything that reminded me of times past as it all took me back to some painful memory of my mom,
q.) trying to live an adult life without knowing anything about being an adult,
r.) loaning money to "friends", creating my own surrogate family with these new friends, buying cars, three-bedroom home with pool and spa, and trying to figure out how to budget all of the responsibilities that came with these things,
s.) trying to figure out "what now" when promises were never kept from my surrogate family/"friends" to get jobs to help pay the bills,
t.) feeling cornered by the broken promises, which created panic of losing everything (one "friend" borrowed ten thousand dollars and disappeared... naive, I was),
u.) talked into buying ecstasy by "friends" to sell at clubs to pay for everything I was behind on,
v.) giving away, doing, losing, and fronting (the front was rarely ever paid back) more of the drug than I was selling,

w.) being introduced to two older guys who were said to be a part of a notorious organization who brought guns, cocaine, and a level of criminality that I never even knew existed... and, didn't know how to respond to,
x.) the escalation of craziness was speeding up to a point of combustion, until a night of selling roofies at a dance club with one of these coked-out gun-toting new "friends" turned into a robbery and, ultimately, the murder of an innocent man,
y.) sitting alone in a jail cell wrecked from what my life had somehow come to, and finally,
z.) life in prison without the possibility of parole... possibly, 60 to 80 years in prison.

In one year, I went through "a" to "z" in a whiplashing effect that culminated into mental combustion that left one innocent man dead, and so many other lives destroyed. I look at that last year and the whole snowball effect it had with such a helpless feeling. A feeling that I can never take away, but that stays my course in life as I will ever try to correct a wrong that I cannot possibly correct. 

One may wonder "Why is any of this important... How does this impact society"? Well, to understand what went wrong with the innocence of yesterday is to understand what will go wrong with the innocence of today. By allowing the dark past to enlighten the hopeful future society can bring about prevention, rather than correction. To ignore such truths, or to act as if it will all correct itself is just asking for the same nightmare to forever replay itself.

Some may think prison is the solve-all for those who mess up, and for immediate resolution, they would be right, yet there is a missing link in the whole "correctional" process. Today's prison system has removed the correction from the equation, leaving only mass incarceration/warehousing offenders for the rest of their lives. A fact that has only helped promulgate a culture that is detrimental to society as it provides very little hope to those who enter or exit its gates.

I look back on growing up in prison... on growing up in a world that swallows most grown men and thanks to God for keeping me and not allowing it to erode the good in me. A miracle that took a God-given audacity... an audacity that was created by remorse of soul, and a determination that God would use me to save that which I once took. When most can only focus on survival, my desire to be something other than that one night 23 years ago has kept me focused on purpose.

The purpose is something we all need to identify, especially, those of us who have hurt others in life. Without the hope of redemption, there is no hope at all, and I can say from a personal perspective that any hope given would be hope received with absolute remorse of soul. Allowing us to amend for the wrongs we once committed would give us a chance to be something other than our worst.

For 23 years I have watched many who have no interest in changing their lives get all of the reform breaks. Those like me who have lengthy sentences are without hope, even though, they are the lowest group of offenders to return to a life of crime. It has always been the short-timers who receive society's trust, yet it is the short-timer who gets released and come right back in. In many cases, they are an unrepentant soul released into a world that they owe nothing to, and sadly, they come to owe debts they cannot possibly pay.

It goes far beyond getting a second chance in society as those who have lengthy sentences cannot even get an education or learn a vocational trade, which means they may have to do 50-70 years of idle time. They have to educate themselves to become a positive light in the dark world of prison, and even then, the system chokes them. These are the very people that not only have proven their correction but also can be a light for prevention.

In all of my years, I have seen what this system has done to the thousands of lives touched by its cold detachment. A system that cultivates criminality and refuses to be transparent about its ineffectiveness is a system that will produce far worst offenders than it received. Sentenced short or long, not everyone will do right, but society can demand a system that only releases those who are proven products of change. Any other system sets them up to be victimized all over again. Even a system that keeps everyone locked up will have the propensity to destroy the very integrity of society itself.

In closing, as society searches for the best-laid plans to reform the world inside prison, please know that it is directly linked to reforming the world outside prison. To grant your worst the opportunity to become their very best will reverse the tide of the negative Compound Interest Effect that releasing those who have not changed has had on our communities. No longer will society see 1 wrong releasee teaching 2 others in society their criminality... no longer will those 3 turns into 9... or those 9 turns into 27... or those 27 to into 91.

Simply put, society can stop the negative Compound Interest Effect by calling for reform that organically cultivates a positive Compound Interest Effect... reversing the tide. Cultivate positive change in the world of prison, and you will cultivate positive change outside of prison. There are so many of us who would embrace such mercy with a passion that has never been seen before... for to hold hope when you knew no hope is a gift not to be forgotten.
 

Sincerely,
Alfred Rhiner

Dear Society,

As I read Secretary Mark Inch's letters to the inmate population my heart fills with joy as I've never in all of my 24 years of being incarcerated seen a Secretary who gave hope... something that only exists when belief exists. As I read the Secretary's most recent letter to us inmates it brought me back to when I first entered the FDC as a teenager and made me think about how far I had come from that lost kid searching for meaning and purpose.

In this particular letter, he mentions a book by Viktor E. Frankl called "Man's Search for Meaning", and how it greatly impacted his life. As I read this I thought about the 20-plus-year-old yellowed pages of my own scribbled notes of this very same book. Notes that I wrote down as a young man searching for meaning when I first began this journey.

When I came into the system I was blessed to have some very caring mental health counselors, and one in particular (Ms. Holtz) gave me this book to help me find what she knew I was searching for. As I sit here thinking about growing into a man in a world that many lose themselves as men, I realize just how long and faithful God has been to me. He has kept me through some very trying times, and I realize how magnificent His plan was for my life. Even in the darkest parts of my life, He knew what brightness would come of that very same darkness.

I look back and realize how long this journey has been in the making, and truly understand the importance of "running the race". Searching for meaning is a lifelong process that takes you through every up and down... around every twist and turn... and past every dead end. It isn't something that comes overnight, and it takes continuous discipline to stay the course, but it is something that you cannot live without.

It isn't what we did, but rather who we choose to become that breathes life into who we are. What you choose to be today will determine who you will be tomorrow, and who you choose to be tomorrow is who the world will remember you to be forever.

Hope is something that we all plead for from the world around us but is it what you are willing to give to the world around you. For those of you that have just been doing time look deeper into your desire for hope, and become that which you seek. And let's all pray that the words Secretary Inch has written are more than just mere words.

Let's pray that they hold meaning to who he truly seeks to become... A Secretary that leads the charge in changing the lives of those he has charge over... A Secretary that reinvents one of the worst prison systems in the country... A Secretary that helps stop the re-victimization of our society... A Secretary that believes... A Secretary that brings hope... A Secretary that creates meaning.

Sincerely,
Alfred Rhiner

Dear Society,

I am the 75- year old mother of Willie Wilson, and as life draws closer and closer to an end my heart aches with one hope, one wish, one prayer, that I may finally see my son come home to his family after 27 years of separation. I yearn to hold my son in my arms once more on this side of the prison fence.

It was 27 years ago that Willie’s voices led him to a life of drug addiction and that addiction led to him causing a lot of people pain-people he loved and people he did not even know.

I do not dispute that my boy deserved to be punished for robbing two innocent people for $37.00, but 27 years should be enough for an act that took no life nor created victim injury.

My husband, Willie’s father, passed away two years ago. He died without ever being able to hold his son as a free man since the crime. This is something I pray I get the opportunity to fulfill for both myself and his father.

Willie has had a petition for clemency filed for the past five years, merely seeking a 30-year commutation of his excessive sentence, and I can only pray that someone takes the time to look into his case. I can only hope that they see the positive man of God Willie has the become-a man who, for the past 27 years has walked in the darkest parts of our world yet has not deterred from seeking redemption, a man who, if he is inquired about, would be found to be someone who walks with the integrity on a daily basis.

In closing, I just felt that I needed to share my son’s story with those who might see the injustice in cases like Willie’s and I pray that hearts are touched and change is enacted.

Sincerely,

Betty Wilson

Dear Society,

My name is Timothy Staples, and I've been incarcerated for the past 15 years. I was 19 years old, heavily strung out on drugs, and trapped in a system that never really helped initiate change. I had been on probation ever since the age of 12 years old, and had an endless line of violations. It was usually for a new charge or a failed drug test. This kept me under some kind of supervision for all but a short time of about 6 months after turning 18 years old.

I just couldn't seem to get it right, and 15 years of incarceration later as I sit here typing this I'm still trying to get it right. Right with myself, right with others, right with God. I've spent most of my life trying to figure out the first two without much success, but recently I began getting it right with God.

It was August 15, 2019 when I gave my life to Christ, and though it's only a grand total of about 50 days I've gained more ground and won more battles in my war "to get right" in this short amount of time than I had in all previous years combined! God is opening doors in my life both internally and externally that were previously sealed shut to me. All praise and glory go directly to Him!

My tale for now, though, is about the journey that got me here, so let me continue. You would think that 7 years of State supervision would have made me better, right? Well not at all. I started with petty theft from corner stores, then onto armed robberies behind different nightclubs. Even through all that you would never believe how much time I spent in juvenile detention or a juvenile level program. Three whole days in a juvenile detox center called ARF in Orlando, Florida... Three whole days!! That is it!! I've never so much as stepped foot inside of JDC!

Every time I would get arrested the police would just call my pop, and he would come pick me up. Every time I violated probation, they would just reinstate it with more terms, or additional time. I never once felt as if they cared, or put genuine effort into helping me change, or to understand what was wrong with me. I firmly believe the justice system in Florida is fundamentally flawed, and may even be purposely designed for failure.

It is no secret that our prison system is referred to more as a money making business, than a place that makes correction. A place of punishment more than a place of rehabilitation. I agree that all guilty parties have a debt to pay, and should be punished, but the majority of us do have a release date and will be released back into society.

It is not like we just disappear after the courts sentences us to prison, so what does society think will happen when someone loses nearly everything they've ever owned or loved? When they spend however many years surrounded by negativity, hate, and even, at times, pure evil? Surrounded by what society finds detrimental to their development, yet they seemingly expect it to not be detrimental to ours?!

There are little to no programs, or any real lasting opportunities to better oneself. Sure, on paper the system offers programs, but in reality they are so few when compared to the inmate population. Only a handful of institutions even have a vocational course, and trades are the main hope for a law abiding prosperous future. Most of the other self-betterment classes such as anger management, better parenting, self-worth, victim impact, and many other classes are really just support groups.

We walk away feeling better, but still feel unfulfilled and unprepared to support ourselves, or know how to function to society's standards. We need proper reform and rehabilitation, and some of us need much more than that! If change is not made and steps are not taken to promote reform, then we will continue to be released back into a society that neither likes us, or wants us.

Already prejudged and condemned, and almost certainly worse off than when we came into the system, we have little confidence in new beginnings. This system brings life to the saying , "Go in a criminal, come out a super criminal." A lot of us never really truly get the opportunity to better ourselves, and even the ones that do get the opportunity have to fight the wave and pull of negativity that permeates from the system. Negative energy breeds negative energy, and it spreads like a cancer.

It is a proven fact that the institutions we refer to as "program camps" which have multiple programs such as vocations, re-entry, PRIDE manufacturing, and the like have a much lower rate of violence. They are far less problematic, and operate as a far better management tool, yet these camps are the last to be found. 

Timothy Staples

                                                       THE DRUG EPIDEMIC IN THE FDOC

October 16, 2019

While attending physical therapy, I've been in a holding cell talking with inmates from camps all around Florida who's there for medical treatment. Most of these inmates are returning to society. And they'll sit around and talk about doing this drug called K-2, which causes them to "twack out" where they can't remember what happened, a lot have fallen. In fact, I met one guy who's fallen over a half dozen times. He was there because he had a plate put in his face. These men have had multiple disciplinary reports for being under the influence of drugs. The one common thing that I have seen besides their failure to learn a lesson and stop using these drugs, was the failure of the FDOC to put these men in a mandatory drug treatment program. No all the administrations are doing is throwing the men in confinement for 60 days. Solitary confinement which further causes psychological damage which leads to further drug use! It’s an endless cycle of stupidity on everyone's behalf! The inmates are trapped in this drug use, for which they use to escape reality and the hellish existence that they are living. And the FDOC is failing to protect them from this addiction, and from themselves. Which will lead to releasing a drug dependent inmate back into society to rob steal and possible kill to support their drug habit.

Yes, my eyes are being opened by this experience, witnessing these conversations and engaging in them with men who are being set up, or if you prefer left to failure. They are on this self - destructive path of addiction. It’s a disease beyond their control, so without the FDOC'S assistance they don't stand a chance!! Men are dying here in prison. Two last month died over at Columbia Correctional Institution, and over a dozen inmates were sick and the dorm that it happened in is now sealed up Bio-Hazardous. We had two here at Union Correctional Institution fall out last month. Gonzales died, and the other inmate is recovering in the hospital. These are just the cases that I know about.

Yes, the FDOC has a very serious drug epidemic that needs to be addressed here and now! And every inmate who has failed a drug test or been given a disciplinary report and found guilty of it needs to be identified by the FDOC and placed in a drug treatment program. This is no joking matter! It’s an epidemic that needs to be priority one!!!

So we need this essay to reach Secretary Mark Inch and push him and the Legislature to make drug treatment mandatory. Cause remember these are you your future neighbors. So, this call for change is needed. Please do your part.

God bless you all.

Sincerely Ronald W. Clark Jr. 

#812974

Dear Society:
 

There is a glaring issue in our states department of corrections with what I will call its "Revolving Door" policy. It is evidenced by the fact that Florida has one of the highest recidivism rates in the country. 

Why is that? Isn't the purpose of incarceration to rehabilitate and CORRECT the behavior of those who have committed crimes? Shouldn't the department strive to educate their wards for success rather then set them up to fall flat and fail immediately? You would think that help would be offered to not only those who need it, but those who acknowledge their need for and WANT it? That may be the ideal, but is hardly the case. 

From my own personal experience with it, as well as observing those of others, I have deduced that is far more welcome (from a department standpoint) when an inmate wants to stagnate or get worse than it is for one who is genuinely attempting to do better. In order to take any steps towards progress one must first ask permission and file the proper paperwork, which oftentimes gets ignored. Hoops must be jumped through and hot fires danced across. Yet, for those who want to continue in the same pattern as that which brought them here, it’s as simple as just doing. 

We are all familiar with the aphorism: "You can't help someone who won't help themselves". Someone who is intent on continuing their path of destruction will do so regardless of the rules and in spite of the consequences. There are those who ENJOY the violence, the drugs, the gang life and have no intention of changing or bettering themselves they are legion. Those who do want to fix themselves are sparsely interspersed amongst the ones who don't and the ones who could care less. 

René Descartes said "It is easy to hate and difficult to love. This is how the whole scheme of things works. All good things are difficult to achieve, and bad things are easy to get". True enough, anything worthwhile you must work for. A free hundred-dollar bill is less appreciated than a five you had to work for. But shouldn't the work begin with the problem and not with gaining permission? So many give up before even getting started due to impatience with the bureaucracy of the current system. 

In December of 2017 I was transferred from Suwannee Correctional to Polk for reentry. After completing orientation, we were to attend what they called "The Round Table". At this meeting is where job assignments were issued this includes education, vocational courses, and programs such as IOP (Modality), anger management, parenting, etc. I was 29 years old just getting started on my 3rd prison commitment. It was my desire to attend some programs for drugs and possibly participate in a vocation. I UNDERSTOOD that I have a drug problem, it has been the motivating force behind each of my prison sentences. 

At Round Table, in front of classification, the assistant warden of programs, and numerous other members of the administration, I made my plea. I explained that I was a 29-year-old on his third visit and that I needed help, that I wanted to be given the opportunity to leave prison having gained the tools to finally be successful. The response to my plea was being sent to Polk work camp where they proceeded to send me to work another body to get some free labor from while the department collected a paycheck for it. I ASKED for help, in all sincerity, and was given a weed eater instead. 

Another example, and this one current I am attempting to take a correspondence course for drug and alcohol counseling. I feel that not only will that teach me how to help others with OUR problem, but it will give me the strength to keep myself together knowing others will be depending on me for theirs. 

The current procedure requires me to first send in an Inmate Request form to the education department asking for a "Request for Correspondence Course" form. Yes, you read right, send in a request form in order to receive a request form. Then, upon giving the necessary information, said request is turned in and I'm to await approval before enrolling. Sounds redundant, yet simple, right? 

With the particular course I'm attempting to take, everything is provided by the school, textbooks, exam books, prepaid postage. No proctors are required for testing as all the exams are open book. Nothing but an approval is needed from the education department and I'm on my way. I submitted the "request for correspondence course" form 60 days ago and have yet to receive a response. 

If appearance were to be sole judge, it would seem that the department doesn't even want my family to pay to try and get me the help I so desperately need, nor are they interested in helping me themselves. It appears as if they would rather, I smoke K2 and join those who are turning that particular issue into a rampant epidemic instead of bettering myself and assuring my place as a successful and rehabilitated member of society. They would rather I grabbed a knife and started being an a-hole. This is where the REVOLVING DOOR idea rears its ugly head. 

In business, there is nothing quite so satisfying as a repeat customer. And, like any other business, the department of corrections lives off of their repeat offenders. We are released upon completion of paying our debt to society with a $50 prepaid credit card and 1 set of clothes. For some, that will be ALL they have to reenter the real world. How far does $50 get you these days? You can barely check into a rundown motel for a night with that and if you do that you won’t be able to afford the meal after.

So, what is it, exactly, that those without family to rely on or a friend to help in their time of need expected to do? What will happen after a week on the street without any money for food or a roof over their head? When desperation sets in and it’s a matter of surviving another night so they're able to continue the hunt tomorrow, most men are going to do WHATEVER they have to in order to make it until then regardless of the consequences. 

There is a song where a portion of a verse says: "Have you ever known the feeling of being so hungry you'd kill a room full of people for the right amount of money?". Admittedly, most would not go quite that far. The point is that desperate times call for desperate and often extreme measures. They go from a guaranteed 3 meals a day and a roof over their head to not knowing when or where their next meal may come from and praying that it doesn't start storming because its 3am and they have nowhere to take shelter. 

Does that not sound like a recipe for a return to our states lovely correctional facilities? Some will go commit a crime with the INTENT of returning to a place where they know they will be taken care of. Some will do it, try to get away with it "just until I get on my feet..." and then make their return. Some WILL get away with it, for a time, but they will likely move on to other activities as bad or worse until they fall again making their way back into a broken system that cares not whether they succeed or fail because everybody is a paycheck, and potentially a tool to squeeze some free labor from. 

When looked at from that perspective, why would they want to help anyone do something with themselves to prevent their return? From a business viewpoint that's counterproductive. The more the merrier, right?

Oh, sure, they DO offer a few programs. We have IOP (drug/alcohol treatment), and plenty of parenting/anger management/personal finance (to name a few) classes, often sponsored or instructed by people who have never been in a situation like or similar to mine. It’s hard to understand someone else’s position until your standing in it. 

Then, topping it all off, these classes, like IOP and vocational programs, get filled up with individuals who are either indifferent to or openly opposed to being in them in the first place in order to fill a seat and collect a few dollars for their participation. That way, when the individual who doesn't want to be there gets himself into trouble for it and goes to confinement, another just like him fills the empty slot and the cycle continues. 

Yet, the few that are sincere in their desire to attend these classes, the ones determined to come away from this situation having gained something, those who not only NEED the direction but want it are shoved aside. And let's face it, we ALL need help, discipline and direction else wise we wouldn't be here, but you can't force it on someone who doesn't care. Knowing that, wouldn't it make sense to accommodate those who don't care by sending them to a facility where they can stagnate and rot together, meanwhile clearing the way for the ones desirous of a change? 

Miyamoto Musashi, samurai sword-master and writer said "If there is no discipline, how can there be a true realization of an ideal? How can a man be trusted to perform in society if he does not understand what society needs? To act in harmony with the environment of where you are you must understand the need for certain rules". How apt. 

For those of us who can understand and recognize the necessity for rules and discipline, there should be more of an effort made by our captors towards preparing us for society. "How can a man be trusted to perform in society if he does not know what society needs?" We aren't given the appropriate instruction necessary to know what society needs, so how can we be trusted? Nay, how can we be EXPECTED to perform in society? The Compass 100 course is not nearly good enough, especially when each class is filled to the rim with mainly those who don’t want to be there directed by someone who is overtaxed because it is understaffed to the point of being completely ineffective for the lack of individual assistance.
Much as I would like too, I cannot lay the blame entirely at the feet of the department of corrections for this revolving door issue. Our state law makers, law enforcement agencies, and ineffective judicial system are equally at fault. While DOC should take a more proactive approach towards our actual rehabilitation and reentry, our astronomical recidivism rate is bolstered by the sad reality that, in Florida, once you have been a ward of the state it is infinitely easier to return again for what tends to be a longer visit each time. The convoluted points system that is used by the state attorney’s office as a guideline for sentencing is a farce and rarely adhered to as it is. I know, in my own case, that I scored out to a 45 month sentence, yet was "offered" 60 months, to which a refusal could've cost me 120 instead. 

Our system seems to be geared towards making a plea deal to garner the states conviction rate rather than to actively seek out and impart justice. The public defenders’ checks are issued and signed by the same people who issue and sign the state attorneys. Is that not a conflict of interest? Do these things not lend a hand to that revolving door? That our system is flawed is obvious it being designed to keep us coming back doesn't seem like such a stretch of the imagination anymore does it?

There are those of us with the determination and desire to make a change, not just in and for ourselves but in our communities, our system, and society as a whole. In order for that to become a reality our voices need to be not just heard, but listened to and considered for the first hand perspectives that they are. 

If we are to help, we need to be given the tools to accomplish it. We need to be taught what society needs from us and instructed in what it expects. We need for our "corrections" staff to make that word, CORRECTION, into an actuality of their duties instead of an inappropriate and inaccurate descriptive of a nonexistent aspect of their department. A major paradigm shift needs to be made focusing on identifying those with a NEED for and the DESIRE TO change and helping them towards it rather than making it worse than pulling teeth to get the help we need. 

It is not any one entities fault. Not DOC, not law enforcement or the court systems. Not state lawmakers or the governor. Nor can it be laid at the feet of the inmates. It has been a concerted effort and only a concerted effort will be able to change it. There is no reason a prison should have a revolving door on it. It should be 1 entrance and 1 exit. Go in one door and right out the other.

Willie Joseph Harris 

    HELLO Society...
 

                                             OUT WITH THE OLD...IN WITH THE NEW
 

There can be no true criminal/sentence reform in Florida without a changing of the 'old guard' mindset that still populate it's legislature!!!

Kudos to Senator Jeff Brandes and a few of his fellow legislative colleagues who made quite an impressive run last legislative session at getting some common sense, timely criminal/sentence reforms enacted. Although unfortunately, as seems to be a recurring tragedy in Florida's legislative sessions these past times, their efforts were once again thwarted by those who have turned out to be a true personification of oppression concerning all things criminal/sentence reform...i.e., Representatives J. Grant (R), Chair of the criminal justice subcommittee and Rep. Renner (R) Chair of the Judiciary committee. In a particularly impassioned speech given by senator Brandes, as he delivered one of his numerous proposals on the Senate floor, I was primarily moved by the fact that he displayed an insight and an awareness (not to mention fortitude) to advocate sentence reform for an incarcerated group who has been all but omitted from reform consideration: Those classified as violent..

In addressing this particular tragedy, Sen. Brandes accurately revealed to an unmoved legislative body, that the Florida prison system is largely comprised of individuals who've been convicted and incarcerated for crimes committed decades prior, yet are not now being given the benefit of their     practical rehabilitation. Instead, they continue to be weighed down under the burden of excessive, disproportionate sentencing structures that offer no viable pathway to release. He informed his colleagues that although a number of these prisoners were classified as violent, many of them, after     serving decades in prison, have evolved for the better and are not the same people they were when they were initially convicted. It was an impressive argument based on sound logic and commonsense (I mean, who would confess to being the very same person now that they were twenty or so years ago?) but it was ultimately ignored by Florida's hardened legislative body. 

The tragic reality is that it is only the incarcerated felon who suffers largely from the erroneous idea that it is acceptable for a person to be perpetually defined by an action (or set of actions) committed numerous years earlier in life. This would be an unacceptable standard of character measurement for any other demographic in the world yet it seems to be a perfectly acceptable form of judgment for the incarcerated felon. 

However, truth be told, it is not the releasing of probable violent felons back into society that is the main point of contention that Florida's current legislature encounters when it comes to being decades behind the national consensus on progressive criminal justice reform. It is a simple matter of the changing of the legislative guard. If nothing changes then nothing changes. Philosophy dictates that the epitome of insanity is to repeat the same action yet expect a different outcome. The staunch refusal of the Florida's current legislature to move its failed, disastrous criminal justice/prison system in a new, more humane (not to mention cost  effective) direction, is essentially due to the fact that a number of those  who now reside at the legislative helm are themselves unchanged. Both in their census and also in their antiquated, biased outlooks. In effect,  those who are largely responsible for making the legislative enactments that have contributed to Florida's Mass incarceration nightmare, are themselves the same ones being continuously asked to amend and or replace what they have worked tirelessly for years to erect. 

Ironically, the criminal offender is made to endure the loss of liberty, numerous rights and a great degree of basic human dignities, all in the  name of correction. Ideally, the cumulative effect of corrections' sanctions leveled against the convicted offender, are done so for the purpose of getting them to change their destructive ways or behavior. Admittedly, some offenders are more amendable to the deterrent purposes of criminal  justice measures than others are. And while some might not take to the deterrent purposes initially, many yield over an extended period of time. Be that as it may, the point being, is that the criminal justice system itself (and those who operate it) only functions adequately and to the full extent of it's intended purpose, when it has rehabilitative and restorative aims ensconced in its overview. Without such, it fails miserably and succumbs to becoming a legal vigilante mechanism used to administer abuse, oppression, and suppression, against those who are subjected to its control.

Additionally, the criminal justice system should serve to promote and facilitate the constructive evolution its wards. If it wasn't so, then what would be the purpose of having educational, faith and character, and wellness opportunities offered to the incarcerated population? Those who have been convicted of breaking society's lawful consciousness are encouraged through what is made available to them through the programs allowed in their inside society, to evolve into a more educated, ethical    and socially valuable person. One who, upon being released, will be an addition that is constructive and productive in society. Ready, willing and  able to give into the society they once took from. 

However, no matter the supposed noble purpose of the criminal justice system, its full aims in Florida will go continuously unrealized...Largely because of this tragic fact: The system that has been designed (in theory) to facilitate the evolution of the offender, to such time as (s)he has paid their societal debt, is controlled and essentially influenced by antiquated mindsets who themselves refuse to evolve. Mindsets that are bound and determined not to look beyond their own biases and prejudices, but are content to place their own political, personal and financial agenda above that which is humane.

Under the guise of the administration of sound criminal jurisprudence this antiquated mindset, finding it's dubious origin embedded in it's southern slave roots, does not truly seek what is best for all of it's citizens, but to promote and maintain a system that allows them to benefit off the backs and free-labor of the minority and the poor. This of course should be of no great surprise seeing as how it is accepted and encouraged as a lawful practice with an American Constitutional backing (see the exceptive clause in the 13th amendment of the U.S. constitution). 

With this understanding, it is no great stretch that despite the criminal reforms' obvious logic or sound reasoning for implementation (even with it's financial benefits), there remains a staunch, impenetrable opposition against it. The part of the Florida legislative body which actively suppresses     and thwarts every attempt to employ more progressive, much needed criminal/sentence reforms, and help to retool Florida's prison (plantation) system, is an engrafted mentality not easily overcome. The dubious, albeit practical history of the south is filled with the underlying knowledge that  those who were empowered through the tyranny of slavery never really desired to cede their positional advantage. It was only through civil war that they were forced to release the slave. Yet from the time of the emancipation until now, these individuals-and their offspring- have perniciously endeavored to recapture the freed slave and preserve the institution of slavery through legal means. This campaign has undeniably been advanced through the use of the criminal justice system. 

Historically, it is a fact, that the primary motive for the creation of the penal system, was not basically for the purpose of having a place where violators of the law could be housed away from society for its protection and preservation. But it was a legal means (and more socially acceptable) by which to recapture the freed slave and continue benefiting from his free labor. Subsequently, penal codes and laws like the notorious vagrancy laws were enacted to entrap the newly freed slave. The violation of these laws and the conviction they would bring, lawfully stripped the newly freed slave of his freedom and also his rights. It returned them to their enslavement to be used, abused, and misused for the profit and pleasure of the rich plantation owners. 

Although centuries later, the American penal system has endeavored to re-market itself as an institution understood to be correctional in nature, it is not, however, inherently removed from that which it has been  primarily created for. And many of those who currently man it, are both     ancestrally and spiritually connected to those who came before them. And like those whose shoes they fill, they could care less that there are numerous human lives who have evolved past their former errors but are continuing to tragically be lost to a lifetime of penological enslavement. Because to them, the prisoner is not a human soul of value and worth. To them, the prisoner is nothing more than chattel...to be bought, sold or marketed for their own self-serving political and or financial advancement and security. 

So kudos to those advocates and legislators are on the right side (ethically and morally) of this modern-day civil war movement. And if it is not understood as such to you... make no mistake, that which we are engaged in, although viewed from different angles, is nothing short of an extension of the same civil war/civil rights movement that has spanned the ages in America. 

Fellow advocates, fighting on the front lines in this modern-day civil rights movement, please stay encouraged. Although your efforts may at times seem to not produce the desired effect, know that without a shadow of a doubt, you are on the right side of righteousness. You are indeed in     alignment with the Highest justice known to all creation. The Living GOD does support, and will ultimately grant, the victory that your hearts so persistently seek after. Your cause is noble and righteous and just...sanctioned by the LIVING GOD...
 

         "...open your mouth, judge righteously and plead the cause of the poor and needy..."         

                                                           (proverbs 31:9)

Finally, it is now time for the advancement to intensify. Storming the capitol, petitioning and lobbying, even grassroots bill creation are all effective mechanisms for bringing about change, however, the opponents of righteousness are subtle. They persistently devise counter measures aimed at thwarting and neutralizing criminal reform efficaciousness. So now, as an offering for practical consideration, in addition to employing the above maneuvers, let's now seek to identify those antiquated mindsets that continuously oppose our righteous efforts at criminal/sentence reform, and vote them out of office when they are up for reelection. With the overarching goal being the replacing of them with more progressive and morally minded legislators who will ultimately enact that which is just...'Out with the old, in with the new.'

It is high time that those elected officials who staunchly and chronically refuse to consider the wishes and desires of those who have elected them, be held accountable via their subsequent removal from power-and their ability to professionally block progressive criminal/sentence reform legislative efforts in the future. Accountability for ones’ actions (or in-actions) should not only be limited to those who have been convicted of a criminal offense, but also for those who have sworn to uphold the spirit of the law themselves. And when they are not doing so, they should be removed and replaced with those who will. It is even encouraged that those of you who advocate consider yourselves as prime candidates to be the more fitted replacements for those who are no more than narrow-minded, and biased obstructionists. A number of you are indeed qualified!!! 

At this present time the world we live in is suffering an unprecedented level of pain and loss as we have to contend with this deadly corona virus. It is not too much of a stretch to speculate that because of this threat, life on this planet will now have to evolve to meet the demands essential for our preservation of life. 

It is an undeniable fact that any living entity, to preserve and sustain its existence, must at various times in its life evolve to accommodate the conditions surrounding it. If not, it will die or cease to be of any real usefulness. If the Florida legislature will ever hope to have any meaningful forward progression in its criminal/sentence reform effort, it must be willing to evolve past its current antiquated and stagnant mindset. In order to do that, there seems to be no other hope but to replace a number of its current outdated members with more progressive minded ones.
 

Out with the old...In with the new...
 

peace. ZAY+++ 

May 20, 2020

Dear Society,

I would like to submit this following article concerning the deceptive "non-violent/violent" dichotomy of the political reformist for your consideration....

An inmate classified as a non-violent, low level offender reportedly was rearrested for 1st degree murder within 24 hours of release from the Hillsborough County Jail, amid the grasping for straws to relieve the possible transmission of the Corona virus within the correction system. Such a tragic reality is twofold:
1.) An extension of mercy meant to possibly preserve one life concluded in the senseless guaranteed loss of another's life, and
2.) that the rationale of releasing those who are classified as non-violent or low level offenders as a safe maneuver has been proven to be less than sound logic.
The Covid 19 pandemic has created real tangible concerns that must address the prevention of it completely razing the state's already physically overcrowded and financially overtaxed correctional systems. Though the Corona virus may be the subject on the surface, it by no means sums up the plethora of issues that plague the state's system.
Once again, the reformists and politicians that direct the release of offenders have turned to the career safe move of releasing only those who provides plausible deniability. They disregard the public's safety, and only consider whether it is a safe move for their own agenda/career by depending on "the record said they were not violent" justification.

Politically, a lot rides on the shoulders of decision-makers and it cannot be an easy task. Decisions that hinge on the accountability of an ex-offender doing the right thing, is a decision that not many would find comfort in making. The non-violent low level offender is the darling demographic of such craftily fashioned dilemmas, yet in my 25 years of incarceration I have learned that there is no difference between non-violent/low level, and those categorized as violent/high level offenders. They are one and the same given time in an unchanged mindset.

Outside of a demarcation on some official document denoting their initial criminal offense, or hollow echo of political rhetoric these two distinct groups, in reality, DO NOT EXIST in the prison system. Both classifications have those who are violent and who are non-violent, and such categorical designations should not be measured by labels or a single act that was perpetrated long ago in the past.

The unilateral "non-violent/low level" or "violent/high level" classification fails on so many levels to provide a true and accurate assessment of an incarcerated individual's real character. It leaves any meaningful reform in the hands of those who fail to reform, rather than the rightful hands of the ones who do reform.

The two main damaging effects that spawn from this created dichotomy are clearly seen:
1.) It erroneously promotes a false sense of security to the public, while also producing
2.) an unfair insubstantial inference that there is a certain group of offenders that cannot be trusted to re-enter society, and that needs to be imprisoned indefinitely.

The underlining message advanced by this misguided rationale is one that suggests those who are incarcerated under the label of non-violent are less endangering than those who are labeled as violent. That the violent are inherently incorrigible perpetrators who must remain permanently incapacitated via indefinite imprisonment.

Having lived in the exiled population for about a quarter of a century, I can say with confidence that among the incarcerated there is scant consideration given on whether one is labeled either/or. What is considered is the content of one's character. What is he like day-to-day... year-after-year... Who is (s)he now, as opposed to then.

As Senator Brandes, (R) St. Petersburg, was quoted in saying, "People aren't static... they change. You are not the same person (today) you were as when you were in high school." It is an incredible miscarriage of justice that the prisoner who has been classified as violent should be identified forever in perpetuity with their worst moment.

To my abject disgust, I have witnessed prisoners who live among us commit unspeakable acts of violence. Those who are affiliated with gangs brutally assault, extort, molest, rape, and even kill... yet these very same "non-violent" individuals may only have months or weeks to go home. Go home while those who recognize their wrongs and have completely transformed their lives watch hopelessly with empty longing for such an opportunity.

Permanently scarletted by a "violent" classification they watch the very ones entrusted with the validation of any real meaningful reform destroy all hopes, thereof. They continuously exhibit their change of heart by their constant model of constructive and productive behavior behind the fence, and despite the stark reality that their efforts are very rarely ever recognized or rewarded they continue to search for redemption from a system that seemingly does not believe in it.

To summarize, it is encouraged that the gatekeepers of the correctional system and the general populace not be duped or deluded by the political reformists' created "non-violent low level" dichotomy. Incorrigibility and perpetual dangerness is not exclusively inherent, nor is unquestionable safety to be found solely in one classification.

There is no real "darling demography" among those incarcerated, and one would do well to consider more evident factors for release consideration. If a person's past was enough to define them before, then why are their present actions unable to do so now...

Peace be unto you,
ZAY 

                                               HELD TO A MORE STRINGENT STANDARD
                                                        THAN CERTIFIED ATTORNEYS

Dear Society,

Courts in Florida have made the violation of the Fourteenth Amendment due process an acceptable violation if illegality is not brought to the Court's attention within 2 years of conviction. This essentially requires an untrained litigant to discover, present and properly litigate established errors in their cases within a 2 year window period... without any assistance.

The untrained offender is then expected to address these issues... which mind you, were missed by bar-certified attorneys who have a minimum of 6 years of specialized training in law. The unfair practice of this judicial process is obvious, as the untrained indigent inmate is forced to perform at the same level as a bar-certified attorney while having no formal education, no adequate access to the law, or any qualified legal assistance.

This system of representation is designed to keep convictions from being overturned although the litigant may be convicted illegally, exonerated, innocent, or guilty of a far lesser crime... simply, because the time allotted has expired without the issue ever being properly addressed. The litigant's innocence or the illegalities of the case cannot be undone, and (s)he may be without a procedural remedy to undo the clear constitutional violations.

No matter how meritorious their claim. No matter how many errors, human rights violations, constitutional violations, or just plain errors or unjust rulings are found in a pro se (without representation) litigant's case, there is no remedy. The Courts have created a procedural roadblock, and your right to a fair judicial process has then effectively expired. The litigant has no recourse, but to remain in prison... sometimes for the rest of his life, because the Courts have said: "his justice has a time limit".

Furthermore, a second or successful motion may be dismissed, if the judge finds that it fails to allege new or different grounds for relief and the prior determination was on the merits. The abuse of discretion doctrine codified in Rule 3.850 allows a Court to summarily deny a successive motion for Postconviction relief unless the movant (litigant) alleges that the asserted grounds (reasons) were not known and could not have been known at the time the initial motion was filed.

However, this does not mean simply that the movant (litigant) did not know, which is quite common... but that there was record evidence, unknown to the movant (litigant), that he was "supposed" to present, yet did not know existed and now cannot present the evidence, as it is considered untimely.

The Courts have put a burden on an incarcerated person that bar-certified attorneys, with far greater resources, could not accomplish themselves. The "Land of the Free" is a legal fiction to those who have run into the long-fist-of-the-law and not just people of color, but all who have encountered Florida's "injustice system". A system that has placed a proverbial knee on the neck of the less fortunate... a knee that has caused many to die from a lack of oxygen, as they can no longer breath under the weight of such unfair practices.

The Florida legislators have promoted the violation of due process guaranteed to the people under the United States Constitution. All people have the right to... No, they don't!! And this is the problem that is being addressed by force in some jurisdictions.

The right to live and exist equally with equal protection, due process of law, and humane treatment, despite race, color, creed, sexual orientation, or political affiliation is not the right of all people. The sad fact is, even if there is a violation of constitutional magnitude, the poor person who use to be represented as "We the People", has no choice but to suffer through the known injustice in silence, all alone.

How long must we deny fairness to the incarcerated... Some who were once vested citizens who held high moral character, yet who have made a mistake? Should they not get a chance to present the truth or should the truth have a time limit?! Should the truth be expendable at the cost of the Court's workload, even if it means turning a blind eye to clear illegality?! 

Errol Mumby (co-founder)  09/2020

To Whom It May Concern,

From the compelling State interest to the public’s interest and the liberty interest of every citizen of the United States of America, we all deserve a mandate of justice and equality across our country. Having the equal opportunity in every state to exercise our Constitutional rights. Based on privileges and immunities clause (which is a clause in Article 4 of the United States Constitution) stating that the citizens of each state of the U.S. shall be entitled to all privileges and immunities of the citizens of each state. This Constitutional fact has been violated through judicial proceedings, state to state and case by case. A citizen in one state can be charged for the same crime as a citizen in another state and will receive a lesser or higher sentence with different immunities, as far as gain time and/or eligibility for parole, not to mention the different privileges offered to citizens in different state prisons such as conjugal visitations, food varieties, levels of nutrition, entertainments amenities, air conditioning, also, being able to earn money for labor etc. A federal prisoner has better and more privileges than a state prisoner for committing the same crime, yet both prisoners are American citizens. Now to this point, we have two citizens of the United States of America getting different treatment because they are in different regions. This is a violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Comprehensive legislation intended to end discrimination based on race. Color, religion or national origin. This discovery has been revealed the discriminatory acts taking place in so many American citizens' lives today. Through the equal protection of the law, a guarantee under the fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution that a state must treat an individual or class of individual the same as it treats other individuals or classes in like circumstances. Observing the offensive omissions of rights as American citizens, I would like to predicate a power of modification for the legislative power to enforce equality across the United States as a whole country, mandating those individual crimes committed should carry the same individual sentence among all states. No citizen of the United States of America should have more or less of a sentence for the same crime. In the same way, a state prisoner should not get treated differently or have fewer privileges than a federal prisoner, we are all American citizens. True justice is having the same equality in every state.

    Due to the conflict of law in different states, the taxpayers of the U.S. are forced to pay for prisoners that are not helping society or the economy grow, in fact, it is destroying the economy and society because prisoners are not given the opportunity to be an asset to our country. We are losing more money and lives than we are recuperating. Most prisoners have families and children of their own, and certain states' laws have deemed never to have the opportunity to be able to take care of them again, due to their incarceration. This truth has affected their family’s lives in a negative way. While prisoners are incarcerated, it creates a domino effect on their family financially, emotionally, physically, psychologically, and socially for the duration of an individual’s sentence.  In most cases, the children of a prisoner will end up incarcerated due to the lack of guidance growing up. The truth is there was no real correct guidance before an individual was incarcerated, to know how to make the right decisions not to end up in prison in the first place.  No one in prison wants to be a prisoner and everyone wants to be free. To me, this sounds like a mental health issue, that was not rectified before the commission or accusations of the crime that was committed. If we would look at committing crimes as a mental health problem, we would have more positive results than punishing a person for needing mental health treatment. Who in their right mind would ruin their own life with pain and suffering and have their loved ones suffer with them until one is deceased? How do you enjoy a life of pain and suffering?  It is not a human’s intention to live the rest of their life in pain and suffering. The real question is, was the person that committed or accused of committing a crime in the right state of mind, or were they aware of the surroundings that could have led them in prison? Because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Everyone can agree that no crime is worth our freedom, with that being said, everyone who commits a crime is not in the right state of mind. The deception of our own minds confuses the decision we make in life. I believe that if every prisoner knew the right decision to make before making the wrong decision that led them to prison, they would not have become a prisoner in the first place. Everyone in prison made a mistake or was accused of making a mistake in life and some people will not get another chance to see the light of day as a free citizen in society again because of their mistake. Everyone in this world makes mistakes. Should we all lose out lives for one mistake? If so, we are all one mistake away from loosing our lives. The mistakes we make in life do not make up who we are, its how we learn from them that do. The word mistake is defined as: An unintentional error. Very few if not any prisoner would have made the same mistake that detour them away from a life of freedom and independence. Through my observation, the lack of understanding of life and how to handle different situations that arise in life is what leads a person to be incarcerated. I also understand that the justice system is not responsible for an individual’s ignorance to the law. How can a person change if you do not give them the knowledge on how to change? Who can better help people to learn how to not break the law, then the ones who took an oath to uphold the law?

  Now D.O.C stands for the Department of Corrections, but people are not being corrected and set free to be apart of society. Then you have people that have been corrected and ready to be an asset to society and the justice system will not give them a second chance no matter how hard they may try to change. As it stands right now, in prison with the lack of corrective rehabilitation or the given opportunities to change. We are creating people that are released from prison and injecting the poisons of bad habits learned from a person’s journey through prison. You can change a good person with good habits by having the individual serve a five year or more sentence whom made mistake and by the time they are released they would have already been “institutionalized”, and all the good habits the a person once had are gone, and replaced with a set of new bad habits learned from today’s prison environment.  If a person does not know how-to live-in today’s society or is not given the tools or opportunity to be a successful civilian, there should not be an expectation to become one. How can a person change if you give them no knowledge on how to change? As people in society work hard to obtaining a college degree, lets allow people that are incarcerated to work hard towards a second chance at freedom. As you have also seen through the timeline of life, humans have evolved from different civilizations, so do individuals that want to learn from their mistakes, to take action and use the opportunity to do the same.

   The recourse of recovering our country and our justice system, starts with prison reform, a remedy posed for a public bill to protect the regulations of all our human rights. Implementing improvement for all states within the U.S.A that commit their first offence are given leniency with an opportunity to receive 50% gain time for the first time offenders and for all second time offenders will have an opportunity to receive 85% gain time, and for third time offenders they will have to serve a 100% of their sentence. In order to receive this tiered gain time incentive a prisoner must meet all requirements:1- All prisoners must pass a state certified civics course 2- All prisoners must obtain a skill trade that is state certified to give all prisoners a chance when released to obtain a job. 3- All prisoners must establish a tax paying job. 4- All prisoners must obtain a place of residence. 5- All prisoners must pass a psychiatric evaluation upon release. If all requirements are not met the prisoner will not be released, no matter the nature of the crime committed, or length of the sentence given. The only way a prisoner will serve a natural life sentence would be on their own will to no be rehabilitated.  Parole will be offered to first time offenders after completing 1/3 of any sentence given and meeting all requirements upon release. The minimum mandatory sentencing guidelines should be abolished.  A 25 year sentence should be the max number of years a prisoner is sentenced for a life sentence unless a prisoner does not complete all the requirements that is mandatory upon release, if not met the prisoner will not be released until al requirements have been fulfilled. Not all prisoners will be able to find a place of residence. To fix this growing problem, all prisons in the U.S.A. must have established a contract with an apartment complex to house the same number of prisoners that the prison can hold or build their own. This will guarantee that every prisoner will have a place to stay upon their release. As some companies do already get tax credits now for employing felons, make it mandatory for companies to have a certain number of ex- felons employed. This will also help enforce a prisoner’s chance to get a job upon their release. Each prison should make contracts with outside venders to complete skill trade productions, to make the prison and prisoners money while incarcerated, This will allow the individuals to utilize their skill trade and certificate while gaining experience and getting paid, paying taxes and helping their loved ones while incarcerated. Every prisoner that is employed through the prison will have a savings account open and will not have access to the funds until their released or deceased, in which the funds will be released to the surviving family. When these stipulations are mandated for each states, the citizen’s true justice will prevail, and a decrease of incarcerated American citizens in this country will start to show as well as the increase in our economy. As of 2019, 1 in every 2,000 U.S citizens were imprisoned with a life sentence a number like the total imprisonment in Japan. It cost $18,464 per year to house the average Florida prisoner, not to mention high- security individuals, and as ages go up, so do the costs. Prison costs are at the highest they have ever been - $2.6 billion in the current fiscal year, that is a large part to do with long sentencings that have led to older inmates (Quoted from- The Florida Times Union, August 21, 2019). Justice means fair, not revenge. Sometimes extreme sentences reflect unscientific beliefs, sometimes they reflect racism and sometimes they reflect judges who punish you ten times harder if you went to trial. There are a lot of people in prison who very clearly do not need to stay in prison (Larry Krasner). Let us make a change to empower our country’s foundation to uphold true justice for all.

Respectfully Submitted,

A  U.S. Citizen