Bismillah ir Rahman ir Rahim. Al-Hamdulillah.
AN ENDEAVOR TO END RECIDIVISM
by
Rufus West a/k/a Muslim Mansa Lutalo lyapo
November 9, 2017
What can the justice
system do differently than it's doing now to reduce recidivism? What programs, if any, should the judicial
system put in place to reduce recidivism? Although these are two separate
questions, my answers to them are the same.
First And foremost, I
feel that there needs a heavy emphasis on establishing a mentor department made up of mentors who are
dedicated to ending recidivism. The establishment of this program begins with
working with the community and the Department of Corrections to recruit people,
especially prisoners and ex-prisoners, to be a part of this effort. Those who
are prisoners will not be on a payroll, but will instead act as advisers until
their release, at which time they can apply to be employed in their official
capacity. The mentor mission statement has to include objectives that include a
mentor program inside the prisons. The idea is that a mentor program that
begins inside the prisons increases the chances of a successful transition back
into society with greater chances of avoiding returning to prison. It is
critical to introduce prisoners to this mentor program as early as possible so
that the prisoner is incessantly mentally engaged in preparing for success. The
idea of prisoners and ex-prisoners being a part of the staff is rooted in the
fact that their experience makes them more credible in knowing what works to
prevent them from returning to prison.
Secondly, there needs to
be more investments in alternative-to-prison programs, e.g., house arrest that
includes participating in the mentor initiative for a period of time, and/or
participation in the Restorative Justice Program.
I believe that there also
needs to be a mental health clinic that specializes in providing psychological
treatment to ex-prisoners.
The last question is, how
do I feel society looks at “offenders?” Majority of society looks at
"offenders" disdainfully as "them" and not "us."
The danger of this perception is that it allows for the psychological
indoctrination of dehumanizing people. This progression is actually a regression
backwards to this country’s European Lifestyle when it openly held that
"Africans" and "Natives" were not considered humans, but
were named "slaves" and "savages," respectively.
Systematically dehumanizing people with brainwashing techniques begins
with labeling these people with derogatory names, e.g. "slave," then evolving
over the years to "prisoner," to "convict," to “inmate” and
finally "offender”. I began with
"slave" because the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States
Constitution legalizes slavery:
Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment
for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist
within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.
(Emphasis added, underlined.)
If we are going to be
honest, we have to come to grips with the fact that a legal marriage exists
between slavery and the criminal justice system. Its current relationship exists
in a more sophisticated and subtle manner that famed author Michelle Alexander
calls, "The New Jim Crow." It is through this institutionalization
that society bets against the "offender' by making a "felony"
conviction a legitimate reason to deny the "offender" employment,
housing, financial support, and equal opportunities for obtaining a college
education, intimate relationships with a significant other who fears
discrimination or being ostracized because of their relationship, and
opportunities to shape their future via the political arena. This is clearly a
recipe for ostracizing a people. It's akin to inviting a group of people to
dine with you but you're the only one who gets to eat. The only one dining is you.
Fyodor Dostoyevsky
once stated, "The degree of civilization in a society can be judged by
entering its prisons." I submit to
you that with all of the institutionalized obstacles in an
"offender's" path, the prison for that person exists regardless of
what side of the prison wall he or she is on. The bad attitude that society has
towards "offenders" is like a flat tire, until it is changed, as a
country, we cannot go anywhere.
Salaam!
Rufus West, #225213
a/k/a
Muslim Mansa Lutalo lyapo
P.O. Box 19033 (GBCI)
Green Bay, WI 54307
