I handed out in class yesterday (11/19) a description of an individual activity in connection with viewing the video, "A Hard Straight," this coming Tuesday (11/24). Below are the details of this assignment.
After viewing "A Hard Straight" in class on Tuesday, Nov. 24th, I want you to compose and post a couple-paragraph response as a comment on this blog post, in which you will focus on ONE of the three parolees featured in the documentary. What I want you to address is simply: what could have been done to help this person make a successful transition to life outside of prison, thereby avoiding the personal and social costs of sending him or her back, as over 50% of parolees in California are today?
This activity is worth 4 points and is due NO LATER THAN THE LAST DAY OF CLASSES FOR THIS SEMESTER, FRIDAY, DEC. 11TH. (The reason for the long response time is that I anticipate some of you may miss the showing next Tuesday and so will have to see it on your own when you come back after the break. I will put it on reserve in the library after I show it next Tuesday.) NONETHELESS, I BELIEVE IT WOULD BE BEST IF YOU CAN SEE IT NEXT TUESDAY.
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I believe there are two absolute things that could have been done to help Regina to transition more easily into society after her incarceration. There are programs which could have been attended to keep her alcohol abuse and consequently her drug abuse at bay.
As a prohibiting factor, she could have seen a therapist to talk about the reasons she decided to do drugs and to talk her through the reasons for not doing the drugs. A therapist could have also given her methods for controlling herself in hard situations, so as to keep her away from the things that mess her life up.
After her relapse, steps could have been taken to rid her of her addiction. Things lie rehabilitation centers are key in this aspect of recovery after a prison sentence for those under the influence of drugs. This could have been made mandatory after her first dirty testing. It also would have helped if the facility that she visited had not been closed during her attendance. Funding for centers like this would be quite a bit cheaper than sending these parolees back to prison for another term of service for breaking parole.
In reality, people who have problems with addiction need help fighting themselves. The government in no way provides this for them, but instead sends them on their way with a couple vouchers and the hope that they'll be able to make it. They typically don't without help. Because they are left to their own means directly after prison, they ae dooming themselves again to a life that probably is not going to be wholly within the boundaries of their paroles and throuh this lead them back to jail.
Richard "Smiley" Ramirez lasted longer than Regina and the other fellow once he was released from prison, but several elements of the world he lived in including his friends and money situation led him back to jail. I believe there are several things that could have been done to help Smiley's transition.
I believe that Smiley should have been set up to a required group meeting several times a week. I envision the group as having several ex-cons talk about their problems and their plans now that they are out. Then, the group would be asked to participate in fun activities that could possibly show them that they don't have to break the law to have a good time, and that there are good people that they can associate themselves with. I believe this would've made Smiley less-inclined to stay out past cerfew and continue to hang around friends who committed crimes on a daily basis.
I also think that their should have been a foundation in writing for what his parole officer saw him performing once he left prison. This would include: a potential job, goals for avoiding crime/parole violations, and plans to avoid going in the whole financially. If this was all laid out before Smiley left prison, I believe he would've been more inclined to stay at his first job, which would've kept him and his girlfriend off the streets.
I also believe Smiley should've written a statement on the goals for his future as a free man. If he had this documented, I think he would be more driven to accomplish these goals rather than fall back into the criminal lifestyle of his past.
Grant Duren
In the film “A Hard Straight” Aaron Sheppard was released and picked up at least 6 times. He was in and out of prison time and time again. Each time he was sent back for breaking parole regulations. Sheppard simply could not escape the system. He often would be caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. But, was it really all his fault? After being released he had no way of finding housing, trouble finding work, and had very strict guidelines that he had imposed on him. He possessed few skills other then street smarts, and he had few ways of surviving.
The system needs to include better or actual ways to actually rehabilitate him. They should find a way to offer some sort of housing be it communal or on a nightly basis. They should be willing to offer better assistance in finding jobs. They change their focus on busting parolees to helping them by giving them the help they need. They need to have educational classes or vocational education systems within the prison. They should have more rehabilitation groups and programs in the prisons. They also need more of these when they get out as well. Help them learn a trade something marketable for once they get out and have to provide for themselves. Do what you can to get them off the streets, not by just saying here you can’t do this and you can’t do that, give them other options, better, and more rewarding and promising. Less regulation, more interaction, more assisting and you will get more successful rehabilitations.
Although ultimately Regina was able to avoid being sent back to prison, I think there were some programs that could have helped her to have an easier transition back into life out of prison. One of the main things that she struggled with was her addiction to speed. One of the conditions of her parole was also that she not drink alcohol because this usually led to her using speed. After Regina was released from prison, she promised all of her children that she would never use drugs again, and that she would never leave them. However, after a few months, Regina began to drink and then she also started using speed again.
When Regina tested positive for speed, she was sent to a drug treatment program that was supposed to last for six months. However, due to insufficient funding, the program was shut down after she had been there for only two months. This highlights the main problem that drug addicts have in trying to avoid breaking their parole, and returning to prison. They do not have adequate resources to help them actually overcome their addictions. Just being sent to prison does not cure an addiction; they need psychological therapy to help them get over their addiction. However, there is not money allotted for this type of rehabilitation and so many drug abusers end up back in jail over and over again.
For those that did their time for their punishments in prison, I believe there a number of things that could have been done to help them into the transition of life after prison. As in the case of "Smiley" Martinez who was a gang member before he was put in jail, there was little help that he received while in prison that could have been a major determining factor of how succesful he could have been after prison. Smiley himself said that there is no rehab in jail for gang members, no place to talk about why they were in prison in the first place and therefore he became "numb." Rather than helping him learn form his mistakes and how to cope with pressures he may face from his family gang members, the system just made him serve his time and put him back into the real world.
Along with counseling, trade or job training could have been offered while in prison so that Smiley could have found a steady job instead of the "job hopping" that he resorted to because of his lack of job experience. By not providing training, the system basically leaves freed prisoners the only option of going back to what they know how to do to make money such as selling drugs, or in Smiley's case tatooing-although not illegal-made him violate his probation by associating with gang members who he tatooed.
In Smiley's case, the most important things that could have prevented him from going back to prison were things such as job training and placement and counseling, the latter being a big contributor. This is so because through counseling Smiley could have been given advice on how to avoid situations or peer pressure from his gang members or helped him with the anger that came with his background of his mother's death and foster homes. I am sure that a little help such as this could have made a big difference in his future.
There are many things that can be done to help these people stay out of prison. Regina has a drug problem that has lasted for over 25 years. After her incarceration there are two things that should have happened once she was released: 1. She should have been put into a drug rehab program and 2. she should have psychological counseling to deal with the issues that cause her to turn to drugs.
While and after being in prison there should have been a drug rehab program that Regine had access to. In order to beat her addiction Regina needs one thing and that is help. Funding for these rehab programs would benefit the prison system in the long run because if people can beat their addictions they will be more likely not to be sent back to prison.
Psychological intervention is an important aspect of this process. In order for someone to beat an addiction they must find out WHY they had that addiction in the first place. You must get to the root of the problem in order to fix the problem. I think a behavioral therapeutic approach would be most successful with addiction patients and this would help Regina.
If Regina could benefit from these things she can get back to her kids and start her life again clean.
A Hard Straight is a documentary following the lives of three parolees after they have been released from prison. In California, over 50% of parolees return to prison within three months of their release. Many times, the reason for their return is due to a parole violation. A parole violation is the breach of a condition of parole—including contact with police under any circumstance—which may result in a return to prison. Regina Allen is a 44 year old woman trying to keep herself away from the bars once again for the sake of her children.
Regina has been to jail twice on two separate accounts; Forgery and receiving stolen property. Within her first term, her eldest daughter Tera gained custody of her younger brother and sister. This created a substantial amount of stress on the family. Upon Regina's second release, she moved into her eldest daughters home with her two younger children. A major concern the family had for Regina was that she would fall back into her severe addiction to meth. Relapsing into her addiction was also a known concern from Regina's parole officer.
The parole system has the ability to set a list of rules a parolee must follow for however long the system chooses. For Regina, there was a strict policy against alcohol use within her first few months free. To the parole officer, Regina's alcohol use has two major threats; leading her into a number of different criminal behaviors as well as taking her back to her meth use. Drug addicts have a difficult time admitting their level of risk, and this is scene in Regina's case. After a few months, Regina relapses and comes up dirty on a drug test for meth. Tera kicks her out of the house saying that she must go into treatment.
Prison does not provide many opportunities for drug addicts to process through their addiction habits. I think that in Regina's case, it may have been important for her to attend some type of drug rehab directly after her prison sentence, where she would be given formal counseling for her addiction. Being part of a support system and trying to understand the physical and psychological consequences of her drug addiction is key to recovery. Regina's parole officer continuously tried to explain to her that if she began drinking, it would only be a matter of time for her to begin her meth use again. However, at the time Regina refused to believe that the two addictions were part of the same problem. The hope is to be in a facility that prevents the temptation of the streets while simultaneously teaching Regina how her alcohol and drug use are intertwined into her criminal behaviors. Having this type of help immediately following her prison sentence would also give Regina a chance to slowly move back into world outside of the bars.
As I analyze what could have been done in order to help Aaron Sheperd stay out of prison, I find myself torn in two directions. While I do feel that there are things that could've been done to help Sheperd (as I will discuss), I also feel that there comes a point when the problem becomes individual and not collaborative. As Sheperd had served much more time in prison for his violations of parole than his original sentence, there is obviously a problem somewhere either with him personally or the system. I think that there are many things which he needs to work on and accept personally, but there are also a few things that could have been done to aid him in this. Initially, Sheperd seemed to me to be a very respectful, abiding middle-aged man. In his contacts with his parole agent, I sensed the disinterest on the side of the agent instead of Sheperd. As Sheperd inquired about housing and things he needed to do to get "back on track" the agent seemed to dismiss him and seem rather uninterested. Though I admit I may be frustrated myself with Sheperd to some degree, he apparently needs outside help to get back on his feet, so that is what must be given.
Also, I feel that in Sheperd's case (and in other cases such as his), it is not ideal to simply drop them off somewhere after they are released and expect them to be fine. I believe that if programs were more fervently offered (as they may be and I am unaware of it) and encouraged as to help these ex-convicts, the rate at which they returned to prison would be much less. Though much of the responsibility is on the individual, we as a society and our government can help to allow these people a second chance more successfully.
Richard Ramirez was the most successful at staying out of prison, but even he could not escape the deadly cycle that the current parole system creates. i think a program that relocates excons after they are released would have been beneficial to someone like ramirez. it would have kept him from associating with his old friends who were constantly out breaking the law.
Ramirez also suffered from lack of employment and general lack of focus after he was released from prison. he would have been greatly benefited by access to some sort of employment counselor who could help him establish a set of goals to be determined.
Also, a support group type environment could have been implemented to give the parolees some sort of accountability to others. by giving the parolees attachment to society, they have more incentive to stay out of prison.
The parole system as it exists now is a revolving door of criminals. it seems that there are very few means in place to encourage people to turn over a new leaf and avoid their former lives of crime.
Smiley Martinez was in jail for gang affiliation and activities. He gets out on parole but leaves the only support system he has and goes back to the streets. He states at the beginning that melding back into society after being in prison is basically impossible. Parolees just get thrown back onto the street usually. Parole needs to be a transition rather than a sudden shocking change of environment. Just the fact that these people that have been cut off form society completely suddenly have access to the people and things that put them in jail initially is reason enough to go back to those things. Part of his parole is that he can’t affiliate with gang members, but he says that everyone he knows is a gang member so he was breaking rules from the start. If people are released into their old world not knowing anyone new that they can depend on they have no other option than to affiliate with their old acquaintances. If there could be some program that allows prisoners the opportunity to meet clean people that will be a good influence to them and that they can relate to, would help immensely keeping them away from things that could send them back. This might be too expensive and highly improbable but it might help.
In the documentary, "A Hard Straight" these parolees could have gotten help somewhere with the aid of others. But its hard to get help when the justice system throws you right back on the street and gives you these guidelines as rules to keep the parolees out of prison. As in Regina's case it was hard for her to follow these guidelines even though she had a home to stay in wit her daughter. It was two problems that Regina was facing and that was alcohol abuse and the use of speed. While she was in prison, the justice system could have helped correct these problems or start correcting these prior to her getting out of prison. Or a counselor of some type could have been provided by the justice system also to help combat these addictions and problems she was facing. Regina wanted help so bad, she checked into Milestones rehab and it seemed like it was going good for awhile. Until it closed down, it was ran by the department of corrections. I don't understand the justice system mat times, you want to punish these people for doing bad, but they do not want to help correct the problem that these people have. And by throwing right back into the streets that is not helping them either. By having limited resources it therefore limits the person. Regina had a nice family and she wanted to be a part of it, but she was not able to be a part of it because her addictions and its hard to fight an addiction alone.
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