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February 17, 2010 (San Diego) – California is under federal court order to reduce the number of its prison inmates by 40,000. A new state law mandates that Calfironia slash its inmate population by 6,500 this year. To comply, in January San Diego County jails gave early release to approximately 260 inmates.
Who are these prisoners? What will their release mean for our community? What could help prevent these individuals from committing new crimes? Find out at a free community forum on February 22.
“Prisoner Release 101: The truth about inmate release under new law” will be held at the Joyce Beers Center, 1230 Cleveland Ave., Suite M-100, in San Diego from 7-9:30 p.m. on February 22.
A panel of speakers will include Craig Gilmore (Califiornia Prison Moratorium Project and Californians United for a Responsible Budget), Caroline Stewart (LCSW, A New PATH), Margaret Dooley-Sammuli (Drug Policy Alliance), Rev. Dennis Malone (All of Us or None and A New PATH), Judy Patterson, Second Chance STRIVE, Dennis Moore, Bethel A.M.E. Prison Ministry, and more. John de Miranda (Stepping Stone and Faces and Voices of Recovery) will serve as moderator.
“In this economy, you know that our prisons are grossly overcrowded,” says Gretchen Burns Bergman, executive director and co-founder of A New PATH (Parents for Addiction Treatment & Healing) in Spring Valley, organizer of the event. Prisoners being released are non-violent offenders, primarily drug users, she said. “Nobody that commits a crime against children would be considered for early release, or anybody that commits a violent crime, sexual assault, or even burglary.”
People who receive services behind bars (such as addiction treatment) are four times less likely to become repeat offenders, Bergman said, citing figures from the Amity program at RJ Donovan prison, where parolees also participated in a transitional program to help them readjust to living in the community. “That just closed. We are losing all kinds of programs because of the economy,” she observed.
Bergman knows first-hand that some drug offenders can be rehabilitated. Her son spent 11 years in “prison recycling” for drug offenses, but is now drug-free and working as a drug and alcohol rehab counselor, said Bergman. She and two other parents of children with drug addiction problems co-founded A new PATH ten years ago.
Her son's experience compelled her to chair a statewide committee to pass Proposition 36, which mandated treatment for non-violent drug offenders instead of incarceration. Now, however, the law is no longer effective. Why? “We don’t have funding anywhere for treatment behind bars or in the community,” Bergman said.
She supports changes such as passage of good Samaritan laws, which would allow friends to call and get medical help for someone who has overdosed without fear of retribution for participating in drug use themselves. Such rules are in effect at some colleges, she said.
Parole and sentencing reform are also options. California requires three years of parole for drug offenders, longer than other states. If an individual relapses even once, he or she can land behind bars again instead of getting treatment, Bergman noted.
Not everyone shares her views, acknowledged Bergman. “That’s why we are including views of those who may not agree,” she said, adding that all viewpoints will be welcomed at the forum to spark a meaningful community dialogue on how best to address the early release of prisoners being mandated.
For more information, visit www.anewpathsite.org or contact anewpath@cox.net.
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