A Job & A Ride Cuts Costs, Saves Lives
When you talk to knowledgeable people about how to cut the high cost of incarceration in Indiana (over $1billion per year), the conversation quickly ends. It seems that no one seems to think much about the obvious, which is reducing the 24,000 or so Indiana Department of Corrections (IDOC) inmates that cost $80 per day, and require guards, food, lights, heat, housing, and medical services.
Let’s go on the record here. People have to obey the law and when they do not, there are consequences. But, consider the sky-high recidivism statistics. According the Bureau of Justice Statistics in three years, 68% will return to incarceration. In six years, 79%, and in 9 years, 83%. We fail miserably at helping people get back on their feet. Our caring mandate is to reduce recidivism and rebuild lives through the dignity of work. Two birds. One stone.
Right now, the best thing for reentrants is a job and a ride. We need wide-spread job training in prisons and jails. Then we need to connect inmates with jobs. 2nd Chance Indiana has developed the most comprehensive online job site for people with a criminal record available in Indiana today. Then, we need to get them to work and back. Most lose their jobs because about 60% of them don’t have reliable (or any) transportation. When they miss work a couple of times in the first two weeks, they are fired. Our van transportation effort proved these folks can be successful at work if they can get there on time, everyday.
Recently, we went to IDOC asking for the amount of money that could be saved if we could reduce recidivism by 1%. Just 1%. Not a difficult number if we put some effort into it. We’re talking about roughly 240 people state wide. IDOC tried, but couldn’t help. But a principal researcher for American Institute for Research, Roger Jarjoura, studied information from IDOC and determined that it would save the state $33,786* for every inmate that did not recidivate. If we could lower the recidivism rate 1% state wide, we could shave more than $8 million off the costs of incarceration in Indiana. Meanwhile, roughly 240 families would then have a working parent. They’d be families with a future, not living off government assistance, where children experience a ‘map’ of employment, as dad or mom becomes a tax-paying citizen.
Sound crazy? It could happen. With little more than $2 million, 2nd Chance Indiana can support 50 vans in counties across the state, and make “A Job & A Ride” reality. This could change everything for reentrants, for their kids, and for taxpayers. The funding must be found. A wide-spread job and a ride program can be Indiana’s first great step to pursue common sense reform–both fiscally, and humanely.
An old proverb says, “You will never plow a field if you only turn it over in your mind.” It is time we stop thinking about this. The evidence is clear. It is time to act. Watch this 2 minute video!
Nancy
