From Governing:
Ninety-five percent of people who are incarcerated in the United States will eventually be released. How they’re treated while behind bars profoundly affects their chances of success on the outside — as family members, as neighbors, as co-workers. Indeed, Americans across the political spectrum agree that making prisons more humane and more conducive to rehabilitation is important for the health of our society.
Over the past decade, some states have begun to rethink the ways their prisons work, making prison life safer for incarcerated individuals and staff while enriching educational and vocational opportunities to improve post-release outcomes. A new report from our organization offers a window into some of these innovative programs. They’re in red states and blue. And they’re models the rest of the country should follow.
In Chester, Pa., for example, the State Correctional Institution established a unit to test a more humane approach to incarceration. The people in this unit experience more autonomy and a living space that better reflects spaces on the outside — an exercise area, a game table, access to a kitchen and more. For those on the unit preparing for their release date, it’s a more gradual transition than going straight to the outside world from the more restrictive conditions of the prison’s general population. In addition, the corrections staff assigned to the unit have been trained to develop one-on-one relationships with the residents. Officers may, for example, connect residents to information that they need in prison to start preparing for life outside, such as resources on post-release employment and housing. Continue reading >>>
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