IMPACT AT WORK By Kay Wilson, MBA There are letters being sent to the Department of Justice and the Bureau of Prisons calling on the agencies to immediately release incarcerated individuals, who are either elderly or have chronic health conditions, to reduce the risk posed by Covid-19. The request came as the number of coronavirus cases grow throughout Ohio jails. As of the writing of this article there are 23 coronavirus related deaths at Pickaway Correctional Institution in central Ohio, according to the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. A guard and a prison nurse have also died. There are some inmates who aren’t physically sick, but the situation is taking a mental toll. A recently interviewed prisoner said when some inmates in his cell block were ordered to the gym without being told why, one inmate replied “Well, I’m just going to go into the shower and hang myself.” “There is so much anxiety about what is going on here with people’s health,” White added. “We view ourselves as an expendable population. ...So, when you see these type of numbers that are happening to us in prison, it’s almost expected – like, they (the authorities) don’t care.”
(L-R) Mujeddid Muhammad, Program Instructor (previous Re-entry Graduate); Jasmine Patterson, Self-Sufficiency Coordinator; Todd Lewis, Re-entry Manager
citizens. Many of the participants have spent decades in prison for drug crimes, some violent crimes, and find themselves without family or friends to help them adapt to their new life.
and need help reforming their identities – or forging new ones.
Mirroring trends across the country, the Ohio prison population is aging – and aging quickly. The share of state and federal prisoners 55 or older has been projected to grow from about 11% in 2015 to more than 30% by 2030, according to a report prepared for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In Franklin County, the *state prison population fell by nearly 2.4% between 2007 and 2019, but the share of inmates 50 and older nearly doubled. Prison left James with breathing issues and (Prisonpolicy.org/profiles/OH.html) post-traumatic stress disorder – health issues that have compounded the broader challenge Jails and prisons are typically poorly he faces adjusting to the world outside. equipped to handle the complex physical and However, he’s receiving treatment through behavioral health needs of older inmates, and programs at Alvis and IMPACT which seeks often, programming within their walls only to help people like him, part of a population comes sparingly to help inmates prepare for often forgotten or written off: older adults release. Because of COVID-19, preparations who have spent a considerable period of prior to release have caught many off guard. their lives behind bars, and who can return Incarceration can exacerbate and accelerate the effects of aging. In the community, an home lost, confused, aimless and alone. older adult is typically someone aged 65 The IMPACT Re-entry program has served or older. In prison, that age is 55. Earlier 1,031 restored citizens coming back to than usual, these individuals experience Franklin County since 2009. Graduates of symptoms like mobility impairment, our program have a recidivism rate of less difficulty bathing, dietary issues, hearing and than 10%, 3 times better than the national eyesight impairment, and medical conditions recidivism average. Our case managers help like heart disease, cancer, arthritis, and recently incarcerated people transition upon diabetes. their release. Often, people who have been incarcerated The program works with local prisons and for much of their adult lives aren’t quite sure partner agencies, which serve restored who they are outside the confines of prison,
Our program’s ability to continue during times of social distancing is still important because there is a dire need for support for (older) people coming home, who are even more vulnerable than a 25-year-old coming home from prison.
“You think about restarting your life, in terms of housing, job, technology and being healthy enough to live with newly “What we do best is provide a steady arm for found freedom – you think about that stuff,” For James, A 74-year-old being released them as they’re navigating and transitioning Lewis says. “But figuring out who you are is from prison after 46 years meant returning to from prison to the community,” says Todd something they all struggle with if they’ve Lewis, the program’s manager. been in a long time.” a completely foreign Franklin County. “It’s been very overwhelming, to say the least – something as simple as using a phone or riding the bus, interacting with family and just people in general. It’s a work in progress,” says James, who was released on parole from a state-run Ohio Correctional Facility in April after serving the maximum sentence for his first-degree robbery and drug charge convictions. We are withholding his last name to protect his privacy.
The Columbus & Dayton African American • June 2020
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Ohio does have a program that allows elderly and severely ill prisoners to be released early from prison, and it could save state taxpayers millions of dollars a year. But, hundreds of the state’s elderly prisoners — many of whom prison officials acknowledge pose little or no risk of committing new crimes — aren’t allowed to apply, an ACLU investigation found. More than 1,200 people age 60 and older were serving time in Ohio’s prisons as of Dec. 31, 2019, the most recent count available. By one estimate, the average cost to incarcerate each of them is $70,000 a year — for an annual total of $84 million. Last year, just four inmates were freed under the program. Around the country, early release provisions for elderly and infirm prisoners are billed as a way to address problems such as prison overcrowding, skyrocketing budgets and civil rights lawsuits alleging inadequate medical care. Now, the pre-existing conditions associated
The Columbus African American News Journal • February 2015
