by TChris

Noting that 600,000 inmates will be released from prison this year, President Bush proposed in his State of the Union address "a four-year, $300 million prisoner re-entry initiative to expand job training and placement services, to provide transitional housing, and to help newly released prisoners get mentoring, including from faith-based groups." As Bush recognized, "America is the land of second chance, and when the gates of the prison open, the path ahead should lead to a better life."

Federal District Court Judge Nancy Gertner applauds the thought, but is concerned that Bush's proposal is "too little, too late."

The problem is that the policies our government has implemented, long before those prison gates are open, undermine a prisoner's opportunity for a second chance. Too many prisoners are serving sentences that are too long under conditions that are not remotely conducive to rehabilitation. We must change our approach long before reentry.

In fact, Bush's $300 million initiative reminds me of a homeowner who, midwinter, turns up the thermostat but leaves the front door open. It seems like a great idea, but it misses the real problems.

Judge Gertner notes that legislation requiring lengthy prison terms, while politically popular, actually makes the crime problem worse. Offenders come out prison with no job skills and no job prospects, resulting in the destruction of communities and the decimation of families "that are already struggling, especially in our inner-cities. And from those decimated communities comes more crime."

Drawing upon her visits to the programs that the federal Probation Office uses to support the efforts of ex-offenders to restart their lives, and upon her observation of the policies and practices of the Bureau of Prisons, Judge Gertner concludes that the President's call for a "reentry" program sounds laudable, but is in essence "a cruel joke in a society where the race to punish has made it next to impossible for ex-offenders to get public assistance or qualify for a host of government programs." In Judge Gertner's view, the President's proposal is undermined by harsh sentences and by prison philosophies that emphasize punishment over rehabilitation. She makes a persuasive argument that "Reentry should begin at sentencing, and not a moment later."

Judge Gertner bases her forceful argument on experience and insight. She's right, and her editorial is well worth reading.