Perspectives from the Department of Corrections

“Dear God, help the Governor find somebody who’ll do something so this won’t happen again.”

Such was the prayer of an Inupiaq woman in the small village of St. Michael, Alaska in December, 2015. I was sent there by then Governor Bill Walker to apologize for the death of their son who died in an Anchorage jail.  It was a tragic and avoidable death with him telling the officers “I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe.” It was a George Floyd-type death before George Floyd.

The context of how I got to that place is a story for another day, but until the moment of that native woman’s prayer, I never contemplated leading any correctional system. I was advised against it. Too many issues. God must have laughed I’ve often thought.    

In the subsequent leading of two state (Alaska & Colorado) correctional systems I quickly became aware of the importance of education behind the prison walls. Research was convincingly clear that almost any type of college level education would reduce the risk of recidivism. In other words, any type of college education would drive down the chance of someone returning to prison once released. This mattered a great deal to me since Alaska had the dubious distinction of having one of the highest rates (60-65%) of recidivism in the country.  Colorado wasn’t far behind with about a 50% recidivism rate. From a purely practical perspective, education behind the walls wasn’t a luxury, but a clear strategy to advance public safety for men and women returning home from prison.  And remember, about 90% of the people in prison get out.

On another level, education behind the walls somehow transforms the environment.  It provides hope and meaning that is so desperately needed. Prisons become safer. There is purpose. I guess my father was right “idle hands are the devil’s workshop.”

Perhaps the largest obstacle you might face in initiating or expanding educational opportunities is the historical belief that prison is a place of punishment.  As you can imagine, I know this tired and ill-informed belief better than most. To quote a man scolding me at a meeting – “If you made prison a hell hole people won’t want to go there.”  The problem, as I tried to explain, is that it never works out that way. In fact, where tried you have violent prisons for staff/inmates, tremendous litigation, and higher recidivism rates. This history and belief can discourage, I get it.

My gentle encouragement is to find those pockets of opportunity. There are a growing number of leaders who see the jail and prison system differently.  They speak as I do. They know that a partnership with a university is a tremendous opportunity. Get to know those leaders, take them to coffee.  Have some of us semi-retired leaders come along with you, either in person or virtually.  

Here’s a little inside baseball.  Education behind the walls also becomes a toe hold for other opportunities.  Remember, history is often the largest obstacle for transforming prisons. The perceived narrow scope of education (it’s not) can challenge a much larger dynamic. This relationship of education to the prison system can help till the soil for other work.

Lastly, we need you even when it seems from some we don’t. This work is challenging and yet so compelling.  You are not just visiting someone in prison, you are providing hope. Godspeed.