Volunteers

The need for those in prison to receive as much help as they can to change is a need that will require many volunteers to be able to add to these offenders' lives. A requirement that is sorely lacking in Florida's prison system and just like almost everything about the prison system, it is set up to fail in this area.

Whether it is due to the rough disrespectful treatment from unprofessional guards... or the violence, (violence that would easily be prevented with effective administrators who knew how to get the best out of their inmates) that keeps the prisons on constant lockdown... or the rules and procedures that disallow those who would come into prison for no cost to the state budget and teach for free. Or being in such a rural area that the populace does not offer many volunteers who can take time from work to teach for free in prisons... or the lack of an organized structure needed to formulate a daily volunteer database (something that could be developed by college students - for extra credited hours - who are studying to become databases while also teaching "on-the-job training" to inmates who want to go into this career field)... or the fear of breach of security when it comes to untrained volunteers being manipulated into making a lot of extra money by bringing in contraband(something a full-body x-ray machine would solve immediately).

These are many of the problems that prevent volunteers from coming into today's prisons, and though they seem endless they are not. To every problem, there is a solution, and the only thing that has been missing is the desire to find the right solution.

Society-First seeks to be a platform to advocate for reform and to aid men and women in making a positive transition back into society. We are looking for solutions that will greatly reduce recidivism while helping society embrace its returning citizens.

We invite those who have been affected by this epidemic, whether an ex-offender, inmate, family member, victim, church, correctional officer, or simply a citizen to share their personal experience, solutions, or questions concerning all aspects of the criminal justice system.