| The 1960s was a watershed decade in the United | | | | Conquest Offender Reintergration Ministries, |
| States, and maybe worldwide, and particularly the | | | | Washington, DC, Inner-City Muslim Action Network, |
| year 1968. For example, in 1961, voters elected John | | | | Chicago; (1996) Women At The Well House Ministries, |
| F. Kennedy as the nation's first president who was | | | | Texas; (1997) Project Blanket, Pennsylvania; (1999) |
| also a Catholic. That was the same year that Barack | | | | Episcopal Social Services--Network Program, New |
| Obama was born on April 4 in Hawaii. On August 28, | | | | York; (2000) Amachi, Pennslyvania; (2001) Keystone |
| 1963, Martin Luther King gave his now famous "I | | | | Ministries, Mississippi, Men of Valor, California; (2002) |
| Have a Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln | | | | Court Services and Offender Supervision |
| Memorial during the March on Washington. On Nov. 22 | | | | Agency--Faith Community Partnership, Washington, |
| that same year President Kennedy was assassinated | | | | DC. This sampling represents just the tip of an |
| while riding in a motorcade in downtown Dallas, | | | | iceberg of various efforts designed to help criminals |
| Texas. Soon thereafter, Dallas police arrested Lee | | | | to become contributing citizens. |
| Harvey Oswald, subsequently charging him with the | | | | As you can clearly see, these various efforts--this |
| gunshot death of a Dallas police officer, J.D. Tippit, | | | | reentry movement--as my good friend Joe Williams |
| and the Kennedy assassination as well. Two days | | | | terms it-- have launched during the spectacular |
| later Jack Ruby, a Dallas businessman, gunned Oswald | | | | eight-fold growth of the prison population in the |
| down as he was being transferred from the police | | | | United States. |
| headquarters to the Dallas County jail. " | | | | With that background, let's consider the central |
| "The Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Pub.L. 88-352, 78 Stat. | | | | questions of this article: 1) Why have prison |
| 241, July 2, 1964) was a landmark legislation in the | | | | populations increased more than eightfold during the |
| United States that outlawed segregation in the US | | | | past 40 years, despite the gargantuan efforts of |
| schools and public places. First conceived to help | | | | anti-recidivism programs and various other re-entry |
| African Americans, the bill was amended prior to | | | | strategies? 2) Why have I managed to stay away |
| passage to protect women in courts, and explicitly | | | | from crime and prison for the past 40 years? |
| included white people for the first time. It also | | | | As I have observed, even worked alongside several |
| started the Equal Employment Opportunity | | | | of the anti-recidivism and reentry programs over the |
| Commission. In order to circumvent limitations on the | | | | years, including some work with Prison Fellowship |
| federal use of the Equal Protection Clause handed | | | | during the 1990s, I have concluded that far too many |
| down by the Civil Rights Cases, the law was passed | | | | programs, ministries, etc. focus on changing the |
| under the Commerce Clause. Once it was | | | | system, rather than helping criminals to change. I am |
| implemented, its effects were far reaching and had | | | | certainly not denying that much about our failed |
| tremendous long-term impacts on the whole country. | | | | criminal justice system needs changing. Rather, I |
| It prohibited discrimination in public facilities, in | | | | contend that in order to move progressively along |
| government, and in employment, invalidating the Jim | | | | the Change Continuum, criminals must change |
| Crow laws in the southern US. It became illegal to | | | | whether the system does or not. |
| compel segregation of the races in schools, housing, | | | | About 40 years ago, when I got out of prison, the |
| or hiring. Powers given to enforce the bill were initially | | | | deck was stacked high against a former criminal and |
| weak, but were supplemented during later | | | | prison inmate who was released and wanted to |
| years."(From Wikipedia). | | | | change. For example, I tried to enroll in two business |
| The National Voting Rights Act of 1965 (United | | | | schools in Durham, NC during 1969. Both turned me |
| States Code" outlawed the requirement that | | | | down. I knew, though, that I needed to become |
| would-be voters in the United States take literacy | | | | better educated, not because academic credentials |
| tests to qualify to register to vote, and it provided | | | | would make my trek from crime to contribution any |
| for federal registration of voters in areas that had | | | | easier, but because I needed the knowledge and the |
| less than 50% of eligible minority voters registered. | | | | understanding to continue my progress toward |
| The Act also provided for Department of Justice | | | | personal transformation. Therefore, I mapped my |
| oversight to registration, and the Department's | | | | own educational program, learning to conquer |
| approval for any change in voting law in districts that | | | | challenges as they appeared before me. By contrast, |
| had used a "device" to limit voting and in which less | | | | I got my first job after prison just two weeks |
| than 50% of the population was registered to vote | | | | following my release--Dec. 24, 1968. I worked as a |
| in 1964." (From Wikipedia) | | | | member of the janitorial crew at the long since |
| On April 4, 1968, a gunman assassinated Dr. Martin | | | | defunct Jack Tar Hotel in Durham. |
| Luther King as he stood on the balcony outside his | | | | Now as I reflect on 40 years of the following four |
| room in the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee, | | | | trends, I see a clear conclusion. Before I share the |
| and 61 days later, June 5, 1968, a gunman shot | | | | conclusion, consider the four trends: 1) the eight-fold |
| presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy as he left a | | | | growth of prison populations; 2) the roller coaster like |
| speaking engagement at the Ambassador Hotel in | | | | increase and decline of crime rates; 3) the steady |
| Los Angeles, California. Kennedy died the next day. | | | | growth of anti-recidivism and reentry programs; 4) |
| The 1960s was a watershed decade for me | | | | my personal transformation from criminal to |
| personally. Convicted for the first time on Dec. 17, | | | | contributing citizen. Now the conclusion: I have |
| 1959, I spent most of the 1960s in and out of prison. | | | | succeeded in the arduous trek from crime to |
| I was released for the first time in May 1962 and | | | | contribution because I changed, whether systems |
| was back in prison in August 1963. Released on | | | | improved or not. |
| parole in December 1965, I returned to prison in July | | | | For the remainder of this article, I share with you my |
| 1966. My final release came on Dec. 9, 1968. | | | | personal change process. I recommend it highly for |
| The nearly four decades since 1968 has been a | | | | anyone who wants to successfully negotiate the |
| watershed time in this country as well. | | | | Change Continuum. |
| During the early 1970s, the nation's prison population | | | | Near the beginning of my transformation process, I |
| was less than 250,000 inmates, but between 1970 | | | | adopted a personal mission statement that I have |
| and 2005, the number of prisoners ballooned | | | | refined and expanded several times since adopting |
| eight-fold to more than 2.2 million incarcerated | | | | this core value: "My personal mission in life is to win |
| individuals. A report released in February 2008 by the | | | | the war of self by learning to fully live in the seven |
| Pew Charitable Trusts estimates that the number of | | | | freedoms that Jesus, the Christ, purchased for us |
| prisoners will increase by 192,000 between now and | | | | with His death on the cross millennia ago. In this |
| 2012. This prison population growth could cost | | | | context, I define "self" as the residue impact of my |
| taxpayers another 27.5 billion. | | | | sinful nature that remains primarily in my memory, |
| In 1976, Charles Colson, a former aide to former | | | | following my miraculous new birth as a child of God. |
| President Richard M. Nixon, launched Prison Fellowship | | | | The seven freedoms are as follows: 1) Freedom to |
| Ministries, now one of the oldest and largest efforts | | | | live fully in the Word of God; 2) Freedom to live fully |
| in the nation to reduce prison populations. Another | | | | by faith; 3) Freedom to live fully, trusting in the hope |
| such group, though not particularly faith-based, is a | | | | of the gospel; 4) Freedom to live fully according to |
| public policy organization in Washington, DC called | | | | the principles of love; 5) Time freedom; 6) Financial |
| C.U.R.E. (Citizens United (for the) Rehabilitation (of) | | | | freedom; and 7) Debt freedom. |
| Errants. This organization began in 1972 in Texas, and | | | | During the 40 years of my personal transformation, |
| now operates internationally from its headquarters in | | | | I've learned to build my new life on the foundation of |
| Washington, DC. Just for transparency purposes, I | | | | a set of core values that I've termed the 40 |
| am working to launch a C.U.R.E. chapter in North | | | | Powerful Principles of Transformation. I learned to |
| Carolina. | | | | organize these 40 principles into the following seven |
| Here's a sampling of prison ministries, anti-recidivism | | | | categories: 1) The thinking and perspective principles; |
| programs and reentry efforts operating around the | | | | 2) The effectiveness principles; 3) the planning |
| country. The year these programs launched is in | | | | principles; 4) the continual action principles; 5) the daily |
| parenthesis: (1893) Wheeler Mission Ministries, | | | | application principles; 6) the C.A.R.E. principles; 7) the |
| Indianapolis; (1954) St. Leonard's Ministries, Chicago; | | | | T.E.A.M principles. |
| (1958) Teen Challenge International, Missouri; (1972) | | | | I am working on an E-book that explains these |
| C.U.R.E., Washington, DC; (1976) Prison Fellowship, | | | | principles in detail. I plan to have it ready by my 40th |
| Washington, DC; (1992) New Horizons Ministries, | | | | anniversary--Dec. 9, 2008. In summary, it all boils |
| Colorado, Islamic Health and Human Services, Detroit; | | | | down to this: let's teach criminals how to change, |
| (1993) Helping Up Mission--Spiritual Recovery Program, | | | | whether systems change or not. I have learned that |
| Baltimore, Detroit Transition of Prisoners (a PFM | | | | I can live successfully, even when surrounded daily |
| initiative); (1994) Prodigal Ministries, Kentucky; (1995) | | | | by people who fail. |