The Need
Turning Negatives into Positives
Turning Negatives into Positives
There is a serious need for the Body of Christ to focus their efforts on the formerly incarcerated. There are over 2.2 million people currently in prison, which is a 500% increase over the last four decades alone. 67% will be rearrested within 3 years of release.
Turning Negatives into Positives
Turning Negatives into Positives
Turning Negatives into Positives
An example of training differently. It is important for any type of reintegration program to understand those traits and use them to create confidence and maintain certain disciplines that were forced upon inmates in prison. Success is very possible!
Why Is There Such a Need?
There is a serious need for the Body of Christ to focus their efforts on the formerly incarcerated.
There are over 2.2 million people currently in prison, which is a 500% increase over the last four decades alone. Of those 2.2 million people, over 95% will be released. These inmates are housed in over 1500 state prisons, over 120 federal prisons, 2850 local jails, over 1500 juvenile correctional facilities, 186 immigration detention facilities, 82 Native American country jails, military prisons, civil commitment centers, state psychiatric hospitals and prisons in the United States territories.
Criminal records are extremely common amongst Americans. Over 80 million Americans have a criminal record which equates to about 1 out of every 4. People of color makeup 37% of the total US population but equate to 67% of the total prison population. 49% of black males, 44% of Hispanic males and 40% of white males were arrested at least once before they were 23 years old.
There is a need for systemic change that gives the formerly incarcerated a real chance of succeeding in life post prison while finally stopping the generational poverty that incarceration creates. The national recidivism rate hovers at around 67%.
Incarceration creates generational poverty
Adults in poverty are three times more likely to be arrested compared to those who are not in poverty. Even scarier, people earning less than 150% of the federal poverty level are 15 times more likely to be charged with a felony. By definition a felony carries a longer sentence with more serious long-term consequences. In a review of the entire prison population - 57% of the men and 72% of the women were considered to be in poverty when they were arrested. Most telling only 11% of the United States is considered to be in poverty, the numbers speak for themselves. Poverty and incarceration go hand in hand.
The effect that incarceration has on families is detrimental. Children with incarcerated parents are six times more likely to become incarcerated themselves.
The trickledown effect created by mass incarceration has created generational poverty in the inner cities of America. The church has a responsibility in Christ to not only pray but also actively take measures to “love your neighbor as yourself.” This means a much larger commitment to help those in need - many of which are communities less than a 30 minute drive away from your church's parking lot. Brand 316 is a solution that can stop recidivism and create real world growth through work powered by Christ.
Employment and Recidivism are Directly Related
The national recidivism rate hovers at around 67%. To be perfectly clear, that means that on average 67% of the formerly incarcerated will end up back in jail or prison. It sounds like that is a glitch in the system, which it is but that number is extremely real. Simple, proven steps can be taken to greatly lower the recidivism rate of the formerly incarcerated.
85% of the formerly incarcerated that were re-arrested were unemployed. The recidivism rate for the formerly incarcerated who actually found employment shortly after the release was less than 9%. That number alone is significant and cannot be understated. Every single study that has been performed clearly shows that employment is essential in reducing the rate of recidivism. It is important that employment meets their needs and provides them with an opportunity for growth. The most successful will have a strong support network, training and support waiting for them with employment available in the near future.
Immediate Challenges for the Incarcerated
After being in prison for any length of time the feeling of being released is almost impossible to explain. It does not feel real until you are in civilian clothes and off the prison property – and even then it takes weeks, months or years to truly accept freedom. It feels like a dream and that at any moment you are going to wake up in your 8 x 10 cell and realize it was only a dream. While walking out of prison the very real fear of it being a trick or a way for them to mess with your mind is a realistic thought. Being released from prison is the first step of a very long recovery process and there are immediate challenges that must be faced. Some of the inmates used their time inside to grow and think about their futures and for others it was impossible to do that – because survival was of the utmost importance.
The label of being a “criminal” and “formally incarcerated “is powerfully negative and does not go away. You’ve already been branded by society and assumed to be untrustworthy, not valuable and disposable. Majority of the formerly incarcerated expect that they will end up back in jail eventually and the question is not if, but when. The national recidivism rate makes it clear that statistically that thought is correct.
75% of the incarcerated are illiterate making job options extremely limited. 92% of the companies run background checks and the negative annotations of being a criminal significantly hurt your chances of being employed let alone getting a job that truly provides financial stability with the hopes of growth. The opposite has been true for most companies finding that hiring the formerly incarcerated is a gigantic benefit for their business and that they are of the most trustworthy and loyal employees they can find.
Another major obstacle that the formerly incarcerated have to focus on are the probation terms that have been set up for them, and the difficulties of everyday life outside of the prison walls.
As an example the average American breaks 3 federal criminal laws every single day. That means that you, the person reading this, likely broke 3 federal criminal laws yesterday and the day before and so on. Under probation or supervised release, you are not allowed to break any laws and doing so can immediately get you sent back to prison. Life moves much quicker outside of prison, there is no slow time and adjusting to this new reality is not simple.
There are several other immediate and long-term challenges that the formerly incarcerated will face on a daily basis making it much harder for them to move on and succeed in life. Those challenges are both physical challenges like having to pay bills, find a place to live as well as mental challenges like facing your past, developing healthy relationships with your family and doing everything you can to heal old wounds.
Brand 316 focuses on partnering with the formerly incarcerated to provide them all the tools they need to succeed in life professionally, personally and spiritually.
Prison Life and Habits
Using Potential Negatives as Positives
If you have never sat in a prison cell for a long period of time it is hard to understand what prison life is all about. To some reading this a single night in a jail cell sounds terrifying, imagine spending five years, 10 years, 20 years or more where you are constantly in an environment where it is almost impossible to ever truly be comfortable. In prison you are always under constant threat both from other inmates and the guards.
However, coming from prison there are habits that you develop that can be used to enhance a person's personal and professional growth - both in the short and long term. It is important for any type of reintegration program to understand those traits and use them to create confidence and maintain certain disciplines that were forced upon inmates in prison. This includes several developed habits and traits that can immediately be beneficial in adapting to society and becoming an ideal employee. Here are just a few:
- Habits: Every day in prison is the same. You essentially are repeating the previous day because you quickly learned that developing certain habits makes the time go faster. Every inmate handles the time differently but one very common trait amongst all inmates is repetitiveness of their daily schedule. Some of that is forced on them by the correctional officers but a high majority of it is by choice. The ability to stick to the same schedule day in and day out for multiple years can be a gigantic benefit in the real world both professionally and personally. I do not know of any business owner that would not want to hire somebody that you know will be on time every single day - that is a trait that is typically hard to find especially and lower level jobs.
- Self-Reliance: In prison the simple rule is if push comes to shove you really can only rely on yourself. This is true for the people that run with certain crowds or are non-affiliated. This is why it is very common in prison for inmates to not share their “out dates” because it is not uncommon for other inmates to take advantage of that information by either doing something to get you more time (planting contraband, fights etc) or using the situation knowing that you likely will not stand up for yourself. From the minute the handcuffs are placed on you are flying solo. Self-reliance in the outside world is extremely important in order to be successful both professionally, personally and spiritually. It is equally important to be able to work as a team, trust others and work towards a common goal.
- Optimism: While incarcerated optimism keeps you going day by day - with the hope that things will get better and that there is a path for you after you are released. This includes getting excited for when your family is going to visit, when holidays are approaching because you know you are going to finally get a decent meal or knowing you are going to be able to phone your kids that day. As a prisoner you are in the worst emotional position you can be in and to remain optimistic through it gives you a strength that is indescribable unless you have lived it. Every inmate has the hope to get out and be a free man or woman and it is equally important to turn that hope to get out of prison into hope to stay out of prison. Optimism and hope in the real world are also very important for both professional and personal growth, it gives you the ability to turn negative situations into positive situations. It is widely accepted that optimism leads to success and if channeled properly will be the same for the formerly incarcerated.
- Confidence: The confidence developed in prison is hard to explain. The ability to walk around your unit, the yard, the cafeteria, or anywhere else throughout the compound builds your confidence. The confidence it builds usually is not realized until after you leave prison and truly believe and understand that the worst is behind you. That develops a certain level of confidence because you truly understand things cannot get worse. The worst thing that can happen to you is being sent back to prison and you have already proven you can emotionally and physically handle it. This confidence turned into the real world of personal and professional growth is invaluable because there is no task too large and you have a strong feeling that you can accomplish anything. With the right training and support it turns into reality.
- Self-Control: For many of the formerly incarcerated self-control was not a strength prior to them being arrested. Once you are in prison self-control is vital for survival. Every single day there is trouble within a few feet of you and self-control is the only thing keeping you from constantly fighting, getting into trouble with the guards or getting involved in situations that have nothing to do with you. Every day you are forced to be in self-control or it will lead to more prison time and a much more difficult situation for yourself. There are always times that you have to stand up for yourself but there is a major difference between seeking trouble and trouble finding you. Self-control is the difference and once outside of prison can be used for the good. A self-controlled employee and person has a much better chance of succeeding in life because they were able to think through their decisions.
- Patience: One thing that any former inmate can agree with is that while you were in prison you learned how to have patience. You literally have zero control over a significant portion of your day or life. They can choose to tell you to 'pack out' and you can spend weeks waiting to be taken to a new prison. When you get locked into your cell, you are hopeful that after "count" the door will be unlocked but there are times the door stays locked for days. When it is chow time ("main line") you are not in control of what time you actually eat which also requires you to be patient. There are literally dozens of examples of how it would be impossible to survive in prison without learning how to be patient. Once released, patience has to continue in order to succeed in the real world. You have to be patient to get a job, you have to be patient to find a place to live and you have to be patient with your family who is not used to seeing you 24 hours a day. Patience is important for personal, professional and spiritual growth and something forced upon you while you are incarcerated and if continued can be an extremely useful tool to succeed in life.
- Time Management: Time management is also extremely important while you are in prison. If you are late for a meal, you will not eat. If your unit has a set yard time (recreation) and you missed the move then you don't get yard time that day. If count time is at 4 PM and you are not in your cell then you will be punished with anything from loss of phone time for 30 days to being thrown into solitary confinement for a week or more. Time management in the real world is a benefit that many people do not have and an ideal trait for an employee to have. For many jobs being able to stick to a set schedule is of the utmost importance to succeeding. This is true for project management and every aspect of most careers. The ability to meet deadlines and properly manage your time in order to achieve your personal and professional goals is an important strength to have.
