Over the past 27 years that I have been a prisoner of the Colorado Department of Corrections I have noticed a correlation between the sharp rise in violence and the loss of inmate privileges. Especially troubling to me are the rates of suicide, homicide, and serious assaults that have skyrocketed in the last 20 years. The past year has been the most violent one I have ever seen in my entire incarceration.
Today’s prisons are a far cry from the "old school" where prisoners were able to earn lucrative privileges for years of good or socially acceptable behaviors. Since politicians are deathly afraid of being labeled as soft on crime, today’s gulag style joints could not be conceived as "coddling" even by the a cynical public. So, prisons are becoming more barren of any amenities and provide no significant incentives for personal improvement. The system is designed to make prisoners as miserable and unhappy as possible. What is ironic is that most prisoners came to prison because they were angry, miserable, unhappy, insecure, and had poor self-esteem. Don’t laugh…if I don’t care about "me," I sure as hell don’t care about you!!! Today’s prisons very effectively exacerbate these personality problems.
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Air Brush Painting by Tenneson |
We desperately need to change the core dynamics of the typical American prison experience and there are very cost-effective, highly successful alternatives to what is currently the norm. Alternatives that inspire men and women to work hard to change their broken lives and become social contributors rather than just another drain on an overtaxed system that gives society no return for it’s crippling financial investment.
What would you say if I told you I can offer a program right now that would show a remarkable level of interest by prisoners - especially those that are long term, and violent offenders? A program that would inspire them to avoid violence, drugs, and illegal activities and motivate them to work full-time jobs, study hard to obtain GED’s, and even higher levels of education? Crazy? Not at all, my envisioned program would succeed – guaranteed!
Here’s the kicker! It won’t cost the taxpayers of Colorado anything they’re not paying for already. It would be more effective in achieving the above goals than anything the Colorado Department of Corrections or State Legislature has put into effect in the past two decades. Interested? Look for my column in the next issue as I examine the power of offering incentives that are exciting and lucrative - promoting Can Do rather than Can Not.
