One of the most respected think tanks in America has weighed in on prisons, budgets along with the staffed, safe and sober house issue. Fascinating piece, and you know where I stand. Take time to read and then respond, if you would. At what point do you think our current path deserves a 2nd or 3rd look?
Right from their about section – "The Pew Charitable Trusts is driven by the power of knowledge to solve today's most challenging problems. Pew applies a rigorous, analytical approach to improve public policy, inform the public and stimulate civic life."
Now I try to walk with a higher power than knowledge -> Veritas vos liberabit
Please read the whole article and Conicio Mihi Ossis
(This next week marks the completion of two full years of operation for a business I founded that provides housing and treatment for ex-addicts, who most often are also ex-inmates. My blog posting today is not an official statement by our company. Instead it's just a personal reflection and possible recommendation by me.)
During these last two years the issue of staffed, safe and sober houses came to the forefront of Idahoan's concerns, as it should have. The aftercare treatment of ex-addicts (who, in MANY cases, are ex-inmates) was examined in a series of television/radio news stories and newspaper articles....almost ad nauseum to some folks, I'd bet. Sides were unfortunately chosen by default on an issue that is really ALL of our concern: prisoners being released back into society; afterall over 97% of all prisoners will be returned to society...it's just a matter of when and where. Eventually, this past year some short term mini-solutions were entered into by all sides; long term big-scale solutions, as well as litigation, remain in limbo at this writing.
However, Governor Butch Otter's Administration has shown itself to be one of the most forward thinking admins in America on this issue. He and his staff are commited to ensuring that Idahoans DO NOT bear the huge burden of billions of dollars for new prisons. He's to be commended for that. As Director Reinke has stated repeatedly: "We cannot build our way out of this problem." The Director is absolutely right.
Then, we have the Idaho House. The Speaker of the House, Rep Denney, often works side by side with the Governor's administration at pursuing visionary, out-of-the-box, non building-related spending solutions to overcrowding. The Pro-Tem of the Senate, Sen. Geddes, echoes that same concern.
So where's the problem? Why are we shipping inmates to states like Texas? Do we HAVE to do that? (Here's where the Progressive Conservative perspective kicks in...). My call is that a radical solution MUST come from the public opinion among Idahoans. We know that public opinion drives public policy...and we know that many, many Idaho Legislators live and breathe by the the subsequent shock-therapy that accompanies an awakend Idaho electorate.
If Idaho citizens want to lead the US in a forward thinking public policy to limit or eliminate overcrowding in prisons, then it is fully within our capabilities to do so.
My prison after-care model is only one attempt at solving this probelm. There may be many others that are, in fact, a better method. If so, then let's get on with it! The key is that no sons or daughters of Idaho should be sent to other states for "warehousing"...and in some cases, death. (See story below by Andrea Jackson).
With 1 out of every 100 Americans in jail or prison right now and by some estimates, 1 out of every 30+ adult Idahoans incarcerated,....we all have both a stake in the solution and, most probably, a family member or friend who is/was behind bars.
That's what I've learned in these past two years.
So, what's your pleasure, Idaho?
Den
------------------------
Families feel loss as out-of-state prison population grows
By Andrea Jackson Times-News writer
Pam Drashner visited her husband every weekend in prison, until she was turned away one day because he wasn't there. He had been quietly transferred from Boise to a private prison in Sayre, Okla.
She never saw him again.
In July, she went to the Post Office to pick up his ashes, mailed home in a box. He died of a traumatic brain injury in Oklahoma, allegedly assaulted by another inmate.
David Drashner was one of hundreds of male inmates Idaho authorities have sent to private prisons in other states. About 10 percent of Idaho's inmates are now out-of-state.
Get this, on September 2nd of 2006 we launched this blog with the following text:
What is "it"? There have been a lot of "its" in the past and many
quotes like "it's the economy stupid" and many others. For this website
the "it" for now is an attempt in fusing politics, culture, business,
personality, religion, you and me.
No longer will there be a perceived hidden agenda - you'll
get the straight scoop right here. There has never been a hidden agenda
in my life; I like to lay myself right out there. Along with some
friends there is a plan to bring many thoughts and plans to help
businesses succeed, to help people reach their true potential and see a
fusion of different perspectives become a stronger entity.
You'll see video, documents to download, links to other sites and
people that speak into this dream - hang on & hope you like "it"!
Well....it's been 23 months since that first post (and 50,000 pageviews later as well - we hit that today.)
I'm sure that's not a big deal for some folks, but on this blog, it's fun to see us tip the scales at 50,000. ( I think that's more than the total number of election votes I've ever received - tee hee)
We've had a bunch of posts and we'll have a bunch more....
Keep hangin' on...and thanks for joining us, lo these many , many days/weeks/months and now years.
Den
PS: Let me know which ones may have been "favorites", ok? I just may sprinkle this month of August with a few "Best Of's"
Huggy Bear repeatedly reminded Starsky and Hutch that "It's another plan perpetrated by THE MAN to keep the brothers down". But who is THE MAN?
Well, based on what market place economics are proving, we can sure see who HE is NOT.
THE MAN ain't "bidness"...
Read the CrimnalBuilder.com...er CareerBuilder.com/ MSNBC article below and see what I mean.
Along that path, we have started Renaissance Group Services in Idaho- employing the unemployable.
Den
Getting Out of Prison and Into a Job
Federal, local governments offering tax incentives to hire parolees
By Eve Tahmincioglu, MSNBC.com careers contributor
Clayton Smalls has come a long way since he was holding up tellers behind bank counters.
Today he works as a deli man behind the counter of a Fairway Market in the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn, N.Y.
Smalls,
49, who got out of prison in October 2007 after serving 17 months for
selling marijuana, has spent most of his life in and out of jail for
everything from robbery to drug dealing.
But he's finally ready
to change his life, and the job he landed -- thanks to help from
America Works, an employment agency that trains and finds jobs for
hard-to-place candidates like ex-cons and welfare recipients -- has
gone a long way in motivating him.
"I get to work every day an hour early," he says proudly. "The store manager has high hopes for me. He's teaching me how to cut salmon."
"This job is the most important thing in my life," he adds.
There's
a growing desire in this country to get ex-offenders jobs as a way to
keep them out of jail. The federal government and some municipalities
are doing what they can to help parolees get job training and offering
employers incentives to hire former prisoners, spurred by skyrocketing
incarceration costs and exploding prison populations.
Here ye, here ye... Come one, come all... Step right up...
WE HAVE A WINNER!
If you act now :)
Please tell all you know and all you think might want to know - New Hope Community Health is having an Investor's Open House!
Plus we're providing Food and Beverages...
Some of you may have heard of the controversy, some may have seen the stories in the Idaho Statesman, 630am KFXD, KTVB News Channel 7 and KBCI 2 News - well now is your turn to hear IT live and in person. If you've been looking for an investment opportunity that is a solid investment return as well as something that will help the community and save Idaho taxpayers money this is IT. I know IT sounds too good to be true, but you need to RSVP and come hear IT for yourself.
Click and download this Flyer to post in your office or email to friends. All we need is you and your friends to RSVP to us which hour you want to attend so we can have enough snacks and drinks. Who knows what you might see at this event, but I do know you don't want to miss out on hearing how it all works.
Remember you have to RSVP for one of the two hours and we need to hear back ASAP
Is education important? YES! Is publicly funded education important for our society? I believe it is. Is our current education system working? Maybe not 100% but is it even 80%? Is Sherri Wood right in her Idaho Statesman article from 11/27/2006 that "Most Idahoans acknowledge shortage in education funding" ab-so-lutely frickin' not!
Here ye, here ye...
Is education important? YES! Is publicly funded education important for our society? I believe it is. Is our current education system working? Maybe not 100% but is it even 80%? Is Sherri Wood right in her 
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