Latest / The Real News Podcast / Returning Citizens Demand Investment in Re-entry, Not Incarceration

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Returning Citizens Demand Investment in Re-entry, Not Incarceration · The Real News Podcast

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: We're here in Washington, DC, Massachusetts Avenue and Voices for
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: a Second Chance. We're talking about Congresses introducing certain bills
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: to roll back progressive lords that impact District of Columbia residents.
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: One such law is the Second Chance Act. The Second
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: Chance Act has been very instrumental and allowing people to
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: get out of prison after they demonstrate they have changed,
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: but Congress want to change that. You will hear different
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: testimonies to day about how these things impact everyday citizens.
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: People just want to do right. Stay tuned. Joining me
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: today is Chelsea Canterbury. Chelsea Canterbury, Welcome to rally the barbs.
• 0:39
  Speaker 2: Hi, Hi, welcome, Thank you all right.
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: So today were in front of the Voices for a
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: Second Chance service organization and the District columber And for disclosure.
• 0:48
  Speaker 3: I actually work here.
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: Chelsea Canterbury is an I'll call it Chelsea from here
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: on out. Chelsea is a case manager here at Voices
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: for a Second Chance.
• 0:59
  Speaker 2: So I do connect one on one with clients work
• 1:02
  Speaker 2: client facing. The work we do here we help individuals
• 1:08
  Speaker 2: that have been involved within the justice system or are
• 1:12
  Speaker 2: recently entering society from incarceration. We actually start connecting with
• 1:18
  Speaker 2: clients prior to their release, and that's part of our
• 1:21
  Speaker 2: first responder services. So we are going into doc we're
• 1:26
  Speaker 2: connecting with individuals that have been released to the halfway
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: houses from federal prisons, so we're actually connecting prior to release,
• 1:36
  Speaker 2: and we offer wrap around services making sure individuals have
• 1:41
  Speaker 2: all their vital documentation. As you know, can't get anything
• 1:44
  Speaker 2: done without those, So that's kind of where where it
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  Speaker 2: all starts. We offer full case management services, employment services, housing,
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: and any resource that we do not provide in house,
• 1:58
  Speaker 2: we do act with our partners within the community.
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: Okay, And I opened up by making it known that
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  Speaker 1: Congress they had centrality over the District of Columbia in
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: termsm any bills or laws has passed, comments had the
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: financy on whether they're going in effect or Comress has
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: the authority to create lord and recently it came out
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: there they put like twenty seven bills. The impact some
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: of the service, some of the things that's going on
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  Speaker 1: in distric such as cash bill. How do you think
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: changes in the lord to make lords harsh and DC
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: will impact the services that voice for a second chance off.
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  Speaker 2: So yeah, definitely with certain bills being passed, it will
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  Speaker 2: in turn effect our community and also the resources that
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  Speaker 2: are available to individuals. It's not reducing recidivism, it's actually
• 2:55
  Speaker 2: rising it. That's I don't believe that's the answer. I
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: believe offering up proper resources for individuals while they're so
• 3:05
  Speaker 2: incarcerated prior to release. And the our youth, our youth.
• 3:11
  Speaker 1: In terms of the youth, you know, and the district
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  Speaker 1: of Columbia, they really got a target on the youth back.
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  Speaker 1: You hear a lot of negative reporting about the kids
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  Speaker 1: and distinct Columbia, mainly in certain areas.
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  Speaker 3: What's your views on if you had.
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  Speaker 1: The money and authority to do something about would precede
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  Speaker 1: as juvenile they lagaty what would you do well?
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  Speaker 2: I definitely think it also starts in the home. So
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  Speaker 2: I think providing appropriate resources. I can't say it enough,
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  Speaker 2: but as a community, we have to come together and
• 3:45
  Speaker 2: we have to stand together. So even providing appropriate resources
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  Speaker 2: to not only the youth, but also the family, I
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  Speaker 2: think that that will definitely help our community.
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  Speaker 1: And talk about how many people do y'all through voice
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  Speaker 1: and for a certain chance service during the course of
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  Speaker 1: a week.
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  Speaker 3: What's the case load per week?
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  Speaker 2: It definitely varies, but I mean, we can see up
• 4:12
  Speaker 2: to fifty clients per week, so but it definitely varies.
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: So in terms of the fifty clients and that's on
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  Speaker 1: the average. Did you see fifty clients on the week
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  Speaker 1: when in terms of like the clients that you see,
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  Speaker 1: what are they major needs?
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  Speaker 2: Definitely housing is a huge need. Housing employment is very
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  Speaker 2: scarce within our community in the district. Providing more food resources.
• 4:40
  Speaker 1: Right, and they and this general attitude about congress interference
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: in DC's politics is the general consensus is they're using
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  Speaker 1: the district of Columbia as a test case for how
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  Speaker 1: they can go throughout the nation and do these things.
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  Speaker 3: If you have the ability or the authority.
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  Speaker 1: Or was able to talk to Congress about what you
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: think should be done, what would you tell me?
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  Speaker 2: I would definitely have a discussion on funding and just
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  Speaker 2: allocating that funding appropriately that will actually give back and
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  Speaker 2: assists in our community. For instance, we are, as you know,
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  Speaker 2: a nonprofit organization and we have seen the results of
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  Speaker 2: the services that we have provided to individuals and if
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  Speaker 2: we had additional funding to do so, we could provide
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  Speaker 2: more only us just throughout the district alone, more assistants
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  Speaker 2: to provide more food resources, shelter resources, employment resources, and
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  Speaker 2: in turn, that is what is going to reduce recidivism.
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  Speaker 1: I am talking to limon U Muse in front of
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  Speaker 1: Voice for a second Change, Ms Muse. Congress is trying
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  Speaker 1: to pass a series of bills. It's going to have
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  Speaker 1: a devastated impact on the city. This is the District
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  Speaker 1: E Coclumbia. One such bill leads to move the second
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  Speaker 1: look at Another one is what they call the Youth
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  Speaker 1: Fact and both of these bills they want to get
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  Speaker 1: rid of. Both these bills lead to people upon being
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  Speaker 1: released under conditional term. The only way you can get
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  Speaker 1: access to they have certain behavior and certain attitude towards
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  Speaker 1: your changing life. What you think if you had the
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  Speaker 1: authority or the ability to tell Congress how what did
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  Speaker 1: they you think they should be doing?
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  Speaker 4: Well?
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  Speaker 5: I don't. I don't think that is a good idea because.
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  Speaker 4: The Second Chance Act people like me need that because
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  Speaker 4: I'm sixty seven years old and I'm just getting out
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  Speaker 4: of jail February twentieth, Okay, and I did thirty five
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  Speaker 4: months and I was placed on the street the next day.
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  Speaker 4: So in my situation, I don't know what they expect
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  Speaker 4: me to do. I'm out here, I'm homeless. All the
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  Speaker 4: shelters are full. They hundreds and hundreds of black men
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  Speaker 4: out on the street, just homeless, right, you.
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  Speaker 6: Know what I mean.
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  Speaker 4: And I just don't think that's a good idea, because
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  Speaker 4: people like me need the Second Chance Act.
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  Speaker 3: The money be best spent on doing what.
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  Speaker 4: The money would be best spent on, helping the people,
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  Speaker 4: you know, the citizens that live here.
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  Speaker 5: I've been I've been here all my life.
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  Speaker 4: I've been here all my life, and the resources that
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  Speaker 4: I need, they seem like they cut them and taking
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  Speaker 4: them away from us and just leaving us out here with.
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  Speaker 5: Nothing, you know what I mean. Right right now, I'm going.
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  Speaker 4: To the voices for a second chance to receive some help.
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  Speaker 4: And I've been to a marker over on a Good
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  Speaker 4: Hope Road, right and all I want is just a
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  Speaker 4: little bit of help, just to help me because being
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  Speaker 4: in jail thirty five months and being placed on the
• 8:00
  Speaker 4: street the next day, it's just difficult.
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  Speaker 5: It's difficult when you don't have help.
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  Speaker 1: So the crime is not really in people committing crime.
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  Speaker 1: The crime is in the misappropriation of funds.
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  Speaker 5: I agree with you.
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  Speaker 4: I agree with you because I didn't have a chance
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  Speaker 4: to work my way back in the community.
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  Speaker 3: Slow.
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  Speaker 5: I'm just back on the street right.
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  Speaker 7: My name is Charlene to McBride. I was incarcerated for
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  Speaker 7: about a year. I'm a DC citizen, all right.
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  Speaker 1: So today we're talking about Congress trying to roll back
• 8:32
  Speaker 1: some of the progressive laws that the District of Columbia
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  Speaker 1: City Council has passed, such as they want to reduce
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  Speaker 1: the age of charging keys from to making them adults
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  Speaker 1: from sixteen to fourteen.
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  Speaker 3: They want to roll.
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  Speaker 1: Back mandatory mental mandatory minimis that they're taking out the
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  Speaker 1: hands of judged to give a personal sentence that he
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  Speaker 1: thinks they should get based on whatever they crime they committed.
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  Speaker 1: It's a mandatory sentence they gotta get, so judge don't
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  Speaker 1: have no discretion. Trying to institute cash bill make it
• 9:02
  Speaker 1: difficult for people to get out of prison. But more important,
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  Speaker 1: they try to roll back what they call a second chance.
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  Speaker 1: And if you had the authority to tell or if
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  Speaker 1: you was in front of Congress and you wanted to
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  Speaker 1: tell them what you should think they should do with
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  Speaker 1: this money, what would you tell.
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  Speaker 7: I would tell them that I think they should create
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  Speaker 7: an alternative plan for the youth or for people that
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  Speaker 7: make mistakes in the society that get locked up, because
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  Speaker 7: it's a lot of stressful times out here. The economy
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  Speaker 7: is constantly rising, housing is being unaffordable to people that's
• 9:37
  Speaker 7: not making enough money. Right when people get locked up,
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  Speaker 7: I think they should have some more facilities where they
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  Speaker 7: can be rehabilitated versus getting a lot of time because
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  Speaker 7: people can change, and I don't think they should give
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  Speaker 7: them more time and take away of their choices to
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  Speaker 7: you know, or their right to be able to get
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  Speaker 7: out being locked up with no bail.
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  Speaker 3: And I don't think that the youth should.
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  Speaker 7: Be charged as an adult because they have a mind
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  Speaker 7: of a youth. So they should have a more programs
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  Speaker 7: or more facilities where they can go to versus going
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  Speaker 7: to jail, to an adult jail, having more outreach programs,
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  Speaker 7: having more voices for second chance, for you know, to
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  Speaker 7: provide for people, uh, more counselors, more mental health of sponsors,
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  Speaker 7: and mentorship programs so that somebody can help guide the
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  Speaker 7: youth into the right direction, you know, because everybody needs
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  Speaker 7: somebody to guide them. And if they're not getting guided
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  Speaker 7: when they step off the porch from at home, then
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  Speaker 7: there should be other like Big brother programs, big rams,
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  Speaker 7: you know, that's reaching out to the community and the
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  Speaker 7: youth so they don't have to go through you know,
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  Speaker 7: taking from somebody else or run involved in something that
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  Speaker 7: that's gonna cause them to go to jail.
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  Speaker 1: I'm talking to Jerry Matt, a Clent and Voices for
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  Speaker 1: a second change.
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  Speaker 3: Mister Matt, tell us a little bit about yourself.
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  Speaker 6: For us, well born and raised in Washington, d C.
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  Speaker 6: Been in the city my whole life. It's a lot
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  Speaker 6: of things that's changed in the city from pretty much
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  Speaker 6: my youth to now. And I think that I says
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  Speaker 6: pretty much the older generation can pretty much reach out to,
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  Speaker 6: you know, the adolescence and pretty much try to see
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  Speaker 6: like what it is that we can do for them
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  Speaker 6: to pretty much get back on track and just pretty
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  Speaker 6: much enjoy theyself while they're in the city instead of
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  Speaker 6: having Congress and everybody else try to intervene pretty much
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  Speaker 6: take their youth and stuff away from them.
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  Speaker 3: All right, are you formerly in conseuent?
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  Speaker 5: Yes?
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  Speaker 3: How much time do you sure mind?
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  Speaker 5: Me?
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  Speaker 3: Okay, so you said you in here, then where was
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  Speaker 3: you at Dow DC Jail?
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  Speaker 6: I started at DC Jail now they trains me to Philly,
• 12:01
  Speaker 6: left Philly and went to New Jersey.
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  Speaker 5: And for Dix.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, now, while you was in DCJIL, did you see
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  Speaker 1: a lot of young individuals in there.
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  Speaker 6: Yeah, it's it's a lot, you know what I'm saying.
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  Speaker 6: I mean, it's just basically it feels like that's what
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  Speaker 6: they're trying to do to pretty much the youth. They
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  Speaker 6: not trying to let them enjoy theirselves, not realizing that
• 12:19
  Speaker 6: you know, they was once kids that you know, that's
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  Speaker 6: right all the time. So it's just basically, you know,
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  Speaker 6: kids won't be kids, but they really don't have too
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  Speaker 6: much for them to do nowadays, you know, so it's
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  Speaker 6: just kind of hard for them to actually really enjoy theirselves.
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  Speaker 1: So if you was able to tell Congress what your
• 12:36
  Speaker 1: views are on what they should do in terms of
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  Speaker 1: helping the city become a more profitable city, a more
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  Speaker 1: reductive city, a more humane city, what would you tell them?
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  Speaker 6: I mean, I will practically tell them that instead of
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  Speaker 6: just trying to lock them up and pretty much push
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  Speaker 6: them out or you know, put them in prison or
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  Speaker 6: jail and stuff like that, like sit down and talk
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  Speaker 6: to them, find out what it is that they want
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  Speaker 6: what they need, you know what I'm saying, because like
• 13:05
  Speaker 6: I said, it's basically they just kids, you know, they
• 13:08
  Speaker 6: being kids. So basically you can take the money that
• 13:11
  Speaker 6: you're trying to put into all these other bills and
• 13:14
  Speaker 6: you know, like cash bonds or whatever like have the kids.
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  Speaker 5: You know what I'm saying.
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  Speaker 6: Really not even into you know, some of the foolishness
• 13:21
  Speaker 6: or whatever. But it's just basically they just out enjoying
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  Speaker 6: themselves and they just getting a bad rap.
• 13:26
  Speaker 1: And it is mister Max said, you know, invest in
• 13:29
  Speaker 1: them as opposed to try to penalize them.
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  Speaker 5: Yeah.
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  Speaker 8: My name is Jeric Franklin. I'm the Reentry Navigator. He
• 13:35
  Speaker 8: had voices for a Second Chance and I'm a returning
• 13:38
  Speaker 8: citizen and also an our recipient.
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  Speaker 1: Today we're talking about Congress introducing series of bills to
• 13:46
  Speaker 1: roll back some of the progressive laws did the DC
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  Speaker 1: City Council passed.
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  Speaker 3: And one of the.
• 13:52
  Speaker 1: Bills that they introduced is they want to roll back
• 13:55
  Speaker 1: the Second Chance at which is basically our talk about
• 14:00
  Speaker 1: because you're in that space and deal with IRA your
• 14:03
  Speaker 1: our recipient as you say, and talk about that and
• 14:07
  Speaker 1: what that mean.
• 14:08
  Speaker 8: So yeah, and these new laws that's been introduced with
• 14:11
  Speaker 8: Congress to roll back you know, IRA and all these
• 14:15
  Speaker 8: other laws that changing sentences for young people, young adults
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  Speaker 8: to get more time at the age of fourteen centizens
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  Speaker 8: as adults. These things doesn't work. They're going back to
• 14:26
  Speaker 8: what mask conservation, which they did back in the nineties,
• 14:30
  Speaker 8: the eighties and the nineties, that didn't curb the crime.
• 14:34
  Speaker 8: So it's all about rehabilitation, rehabilitating the people, the young people,
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  Speaker 8: and you know, giving them a second chance. Like me,
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  Speaker 8: I was sentenced to forty years to life, and I
• 14:44
  Speaker 8: mean I changed my life way before I even knew
• 14:46
  Speaker 8: IRA was in existence, you know what I'm saying. So
• 14:49
  Speaker 8: this shows that the people will change, especially the youth,
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  Speaker 8: as they as they do their time.
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  Speaker 5: So locking them up and throwing away the key is
• 14:56
  Speaker 5: not the answer.
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  Speaker 3: And how old was you when you got now?
• 15:00
  Speaker 8: I not like that was twenty two years old and
• 15:01
  Speaker 8: I came out. I was forty seven years old, you
• 15:04
  Speaker 8: know what I'm saying. So I spent most of my twenties,
• 15:07
  Speaker 8: all my thirties, and most of my forties in prison,
• 15:09
  Speaker 8: you know. And like I say, I changed my ways
• 15:13
  Speaker 8: and my way of thinking. Like I want to say,
• 15:16
  Speaker 8: probably fifteen years ago before I came home. You know
• 15:20
  Speaker 8: what I'm saying, So these things, uh, locking the people up,
• 15:23
  Speaker 8: these young people up and saying okay, look they are
• 15:27
  Speaker 8: what they what they was calling them predators or whatever
• 15:30
  Speaker 8: like that, you know, and like no, this is like
• 15:33
  Speaker 8: the sign says what the frountal lows on fully developed
• 15:36
  Speaker 8: to the mid twenties. So the decision making of these
• 15:40
  Speaker 8: teenagers they are now, you know, they're not fully developed,
• 15:43
  Speaker 8: So give them a chance. I'm not saying that they
• 15:45
  Speaker 8: shouldn't be held accountable for their crimes, but locking them
• 15:48
  Speaker 8: up and not giving them a chance to come out.
• 15:51
  Speaker 5: This is no.
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  Speaker 3: This this is, uh, I want to say, in humane.
• 15:55
  Speaker 5: You know what I'm saying.
• 15:55
  Speaker 8: This is you know, this is something that you don't
• 15:57
  Speaker 8: do to people or due to your residence in DC,
• 16:00
  Speaker 8: I said. Far as the law, especially containing to the youth,
• 16:04
  Speaker 8: more programs for the youth, giving them something to do
• 16:06
  Speaker 8: like fast education. You know, it goes back to their family,
• 16:10
  Speaker 8: helping their families out with with jobs and you know,
• 16:13
  Speaker 8: so they won't be just running the streets and.
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  Speaker 5: Get into things.
• 16:16
  Speaker 8: You know what I'm saying, This would change, This would
• 16:18
  Speaker 8: help the youth. And not to be on the streets
• 16:20
  Speaker 8: like that. So and another thing, the loss should be changed,
• 16:23
  Speaker 8: not just for a certain age, take away the age
• 16:26
  Speaker 8: and just give everyone who gets in Constuate another chance
• 16:29
  Speaker 8: to come home, you know what I'm saying, instead of
• 16:30
  Speaker 8: just locking the people up and having them in prison,
• 16:33
  Speaker 8: which doesn't help at all, You know what I'm saying.
• 16:35
  Speaker 8: You know, so yeah, you know. So we got the
• 16:37
  Speaker 8: age where now before the age of twenty five, have
• 16:39
  Speaker 8: no age for someone can have their time reduction. You
• 16:44
  Speaker 8: know this will help, and have more programs and housing
• 16:48
  Speaker 8: for the people when they return.