The US prison system needs to be reformed. People on both sides of the political spectrum agree on the need to address the fact that the US holds more than 20% of the world's prisoners, has a justice system that preys on poor minorities and has high recidivism rates.
There are many organizations pioneering reform and fixing the system. One such organization is EMERGE CT, which focuses on life after prison. EMERGE is based in New Haven and helps ex-offenders return to a normal life through a robust training program.
Check out the video above for a look at EMERGE's day-to-day work.
I recently spoke with Alden Woodcock, Director of Program Services at EMERGE, to get a better sense of what the team is doing to help.
What challenges do ex-offenders face when they leave prison in the US?
Recently released offenders face a number of challenges in the United States. Upon their release, many have every intention of entering the workforce, but quickly realize that they have developed several barriers to employment with the added stigma that comes with a criminal record. They enter back into the same environment and communities that they were a part of while they were getting into trouble. They struggle to find the right mix of services that support and stabilize them and properly prepare them for the realities of the job market.
Offenders often have very low literacy and math levels, poor to no job experience, and no idea how to properly fill out job applications and market themselves to potential employers. The truth is every offender comes home and just wants to work, but what they really need in order to be successful is to begin to address the trauma and mental health issues that have been put “on the shelf”. Offenders have often experienced a number of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), as well as the trauma that comes with being incarcerated. These traumas manifest in their behavior, and these behaviors are what need to be addressed: consistently and immediately.
Do you think these challenges are well known? Is the broader public aware of the hardships?
These challenges are known to some, but largely unappreciated by the general public. There is a widely held but false belief that service providers can link offenders to a job, and they will be fine. However, there is no evidence that says that a job lowers recidivism. Having a job is only a small part of the solution, and in the rush to find these men and women work, many service providers fail to address the other factors of recidivism. Also, many service providers are underfunded, and are ill-equipped while attempting to address the mental and behavioral health issues that arise.
Why is it necessary for organizations like EMERGE to exist?
EMERGE is able to address many of the aforementioned challenges at a critical period of re-entry. We take a holistic approach to addressing the behavior and barriers that keep most re-entrants from being successful upon their release. We provide paid work, which attracts those individuals who believe they simply need employment.
The real magic happens when these “crewmembers” as we call them, begin to buy in to their personal development through our program services. We focus on employability, cognitive behavior, mental health, academic achievement, parenting and healthy relationships. EMERGE uses evidence-based models and approaches that have proven to be effective in addressing the needs of this particular population. We address these barriers to employment in a no-nonsense, highly-structured environment by providing immediate, constructive feedback and by holding everyone accountable for even the smallest behavioral issues.
Organizations like EMERGE give these men and women a place to learn from one another and make the mistakes that other employers wouldn’t tolerate. We look at these mistakes as inevitable, given the experiences most of our crewmembers have had, and use it as an opportunity for them to learn and then begin to try doing things differently. When someone really buys in to this model, they are able to view their lives through a different lens, and make the adjustments necessary to be a better employee, father, mother, and member of the New Haven community.
What do you think can be done to reform the criminal justice system in the US?
It seems as though the conversation around reform of the criminal justice system is making progress nationally and on state levels. There have been pushes for shorter sentences, less severe sentences for non-violent offenders, etc. As these offenders are being released at higher than normal rates, there need to be services (like EMERGE) in place to give these men and women the best chance of breaking the pattern of recidivism. Simply releasing offenders and forgiving sentences is a start, but if there aren’t any plans to decrease recidivism through services that address the key issues, the pattern will continue.
How much better off are members after the program? What EMERGE success stories stand out to you the most?
This experience at EMERGE is transitional, and designed to address the barriers that have kept them from success. I would also point out that even those who do not leave immediately to jobs are better off because they’ve developed a support network, created healthier connections in their personal lives (personal relationships, professional connections, etc.) and settled child support issues, banking issues, etc. Here is a recent example:
“Ant” came to EMERGE in June of 2014 having just done 13 months of incarceration for carrying a pistol without a permit. This was his second bid of incarceration, and at 28 years old he was willing to try something different. At first, Ant was very quiet, reserved, and seemed disinterested. He had a significant mistrust in service providers based on his past experiences, and his attitude was stopping any progress he had hoped to make. It wasn’t until a couple of months into his time with us that he reached a point of frustration that warranted an intervention. His job at EMERGE was on the line, and he needed to make a decision.
Ant still uses that intervention as a checkpoint in his re-entry. He decided to stop fighting, and start learning. He opened up to staff and his fellow crewmembers about some of the experiences that led to his illegal activities, as well as some of the fears and challenges he’d been facing since his release. He started speaking up in “Real Talk” and Parenting groups, as well as dedicating himself to improving his reading and math scores. The confidence and sincerity he showed his fellow crewmembers in these discussions exposed his leadership qualities, and he soon earned himself a spot on the tree planting crew with Urban Resources Initiative, a contract EMERGE has through the Yale School of Forestry to plant trees in New Haven. Ant jumped right in and quickly worked his way up to a supervisor role, which included a raise in pay and added responsibilities at EMERGE. He continued to work as a Supervisor here, helping to mentor younger crewmembers and improve upon his skillset.
In June of 2015 Ant left EMERGE for a full time job at a Tree Service company where he continues to work today. He is now a part of EMERGE’s alumni network, and comes by the EMERGE offices when he can to speak to the current crewmembers.
EMERGE is the type of community-building program that helps to end poverty. Few things are more devastating to a person's life and a community's welfare than a prison sentence. And when ex-offenders are marked as outcasts, this damage only worsens.
EMERGE is trying to reverse this damage. It's helping people escape poverty and rewrite the narrative of their lives. It's turning recidivism into recovery.
As the US enters another Presidential season, it will be important to keep criminal justice reform at the top of the agenda.