Can people who have done bad things change
for the better? The belief in second chances
and the possibility for redemption is a core
tenant of the American dream. But if we believe
in this, why do we make it so difficult for
former criminals to improve themselves into
productive members of society? A study of
prisoners released in 2005 found that 83 percent
were rearrested within nine years, with 44
percent reoffending within their first year
after release. Is this because there’s simply
no hope to change an ex-convict’s criminal
nature? While that may be the case for some,
those recidivism numbers aren’t helped by
the fact that when we release prisoners, our
society’s aid in their rehabilitation often
ends there. Many released prisoners have nowhere
to live, no way to get a job, and their only
community – if they have any to turn to
at all – is that from their past criminal
life. But we can change that. We can have
less criminality and help those who have paid
their debt to society become functioning members
of our American community. Hope for Prisoners
is a Nevada based non-profit founded by three-time
convicted felon Jon Ponder. It assists released
prisoners with reentry by providing long-term
support and services as they work to reclaim
their lives, families and standing in the
community. Hope for Prisoners has helped more
than 3,000 former inmates over its 10 years
in operation, for most of that time operating
on a budget of less than $300,000 a year.
Thanks to Hope for Prisoners, these released
prisoners aren’t simply thrust into a world
they’re unprepared for. Instead, Hope for
Prisoners provides them with a mentor to help
guide them, conducts classes on job and leadership
skills to help them gain stable employment,
and simply works to nurture them into better
citizens. A 2016 study found that only 6
percent of ex-prisoners who completed the
program recidivated after a year-and-a-half.
That’s so effective that President Trump
came to a Hope for Prisoners graduation to
see what’s going on and to speak to the graduates.
Trump is also considering a presidential pardon
for Ponder, something he received from the
state of Nevada in early March. Hope for Prisoners
is an experiment that needs to be expanded
nationwide. Providing released prisoners with
the means to take personal responsibility
and produce value for their communities and
themselves is an idea that should bring people
together from all across the political spectrum.
I’m Heather Cordasco. If you liked this
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