FAITHFUL CITIZENSHIP HAROLD DEAN TRULEAR
Welcome Home It’s a phrase that signifies warmth, acceptance, and belonging.The weary pilgrim, the anxious traveler, the displaced refugee long to hear those words. But for many Americans, the longing for home will be left largely unsatisfied even upon their return. They are incarcerated men, women, and youth, and they will return to their communities— our communities—this year in record numbers. Since the late ’90s we have known that 2006 would see unprecedented releases from prison, an actuarial anomaly brought on by the stringent drug sentencing of that decade. This has caused great concern among some who care about youth and young adults in poor communities, because many of these folks return unprepared for life “at home.” Indeed, given the high recidivism rates for these populations, concern that their return could produce an upward spike in criminal and violent activity in poor communities is not unwarranted. As early as 1998, Boston minister Eugene Rivers launched Operation 2006 in an attempt to mobilize congregations in 40 cities to be prepared to welcome home these returning prisoners. That same year, the Los Angeles Metropolitan Churches, under the leadership of Rev. Eugene Williams, organized congregations in South Central L.A. to push legislation that would make it mandatory for exfelons released from the California state correctional system to complete a GED program as a condition of their parole. These efforts are noble, even heroic. But despite their effectiveness, despite the Bush administration’s support for prisoner reentry programs, despite laudable philanthropic efforts by organizations like the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the issue of the reentry of incarcerated persons
into mainstream American society remains a blip on the social welfare and policy radar screens of the Christian church—especially those who claim to have laid claim to the moral high ground in our country. The record numbers of returning ex-offenders bring with them special issues, many of which predate their arrest and incarceration. According to numbers posted by the National Alliance of Faith and Justice (NAFJ), an affiliate of the National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice, 41.3 percent of the nation’s incarcerated have no high school diploma. NAFJ states that “approximately onethird of prisoners cannot locate an intersection on a street map or identify and enter basic information on an application.” They also note that “only one in 20 can determine which bus to take from using a schedule.” When one adds to the mix such necessary tasks as obtaining a driver’s license, Social Security card, and bank account, life skills taken for granted by many of us present major challenges for those seeking to come “home.” At a recent conference sponsored by the University of the District of Columbia and the Kingmaker Foundation, an exoffender talked about how conditioned he had become to prison life:“Somebody tells you when to wake up and go to sleep. They tell you when to eat, when you can study, when you can have recreation. I got so used to waiting for a buzzer to walk through a door that when I got home, I went to a store and stood outside for 20 minutes waiting for a buzzer before I realized I could open the door myself and walk in.” Those who know the criminal justice system agree that three things are necessary to facilitate the readjustment of incarcerated persons into society. First, they need a place to hang their hat. Many persons in prison have burned their bridges, which makes the return home anywhere from rough to impossible. Families who do receive their loved ones PRISM 2006
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back must make major adjustments. Some families have moved on, wanting nothing to do with the ex-offender. Halfway houses and other facilities receive ex-offenders, but even those places are often overcrowded and under-resourced. Second, ex-offenders need jobs. Significant obstacles exist in the job market for this population, from legal barring to prejudicial discrimination.Yet employment is a critical component to successful reentry to community and society. And third, ex-offenders need a community—a group of caring persons who make it their business to be present for those returning “home.” Sound like something a church could provide? While we don’t have nearly enough people and communities of faith mobilized to receive this record reentry, many resources are available for those congregations and individuals who do choose to get involved. NAFJ’s website (nafjn abcj.org) is a good source for model programs and strategies. Emory University professor Robert Franklin has written a significant essay (reentrymediaoutreach. org/robertfranklin_essay1203.pdf) cogently arguing the theological mandate for congregations to welcome this population home. Other excellent resources are available from the Reentry National Media Outreach Campaign (reentrymediaoutreach.org). People of goodwill have long decried overcrowded prisons and racial disparities in sentencing and have called for the release of those incarcerated unjustly. These are meaningful endeavors, but if ex-offenders lack the three basic elements of readjustment—housing, employment, and community—how do we expect their release to be good news for either them or the society to which they return? Who will be there to welcome them home? ■ Harold Dean Trulear is a pastor, an associate professor of applied theology at Howard University School of Divinity, and a fellow at the Center for Public Justice in Washington, D.C.