Prison Reform: Will Congress Finally Move Forward?

On May 10, 2010 the New York Times published an editorial suggesting that prison reform legislation may move forward. News comes slowly to those of us in federal prison, and this editorial was the first I've read about efforts in the House of Representatives to track a bill that Senator Webb sponsored in the U.S. Senate. The bill doesn't call for prison reform itself, but rather a "blue-ribbon commission" that would include criminal justice experts. The commission would study the criminal justice system and propose "an action blueprint" to fix it.

It's been more than one year since Senator Webb first proposed a commission. Since then his bill passed the Judiciary Committee, but the full Senate has yet to put the bill to a vote. There is no telling how long the House bill will languish before it votes. The bill has bipartisan support and will likely pass both the House and the Senate, but even after President Obama signs it into law, the commission will require 18 months to study the problems in our criminal justice system. Accordingly, I don't expect to see meaningful prison reform until late 2011 or possibly early 2012.

When President Obama took office I had hopes that we would see more action with regard to the prison reform issue. After all, he campaigned on the promise of bottom-up governance. Yet his administration confronted so many crises that prison reform never really made it to the discussion table. Our federal prison system still operates without regard for the importance of encouraging prisoners to nurture strong family ties: rules limit prisoners to 300 minutes of telephone access each month; restrictions prohibit conjugal family visits; objective paths to earn furloughs do not exist.

I remain optimistic that meaningful reforms to the criminal justice system will come. I expect that those reforms will include opportunities for nonviolent offenders to work toward earning freedom through clearly defined mechanism. For example: incentives may enable prisoners to increase their freedom in gradual steps through a combination of vocational training, educational advancement, and community service. Reforms may also bring back a release mechanism such as parole, and offer more programs that prepare prisoners for the challenges they should expect to face upon their return to society.

Whatever happens with prison reform legislation in the months and years to come, I intend to do my part by helping my fellow prisoners create their own strategies to triumph over the struggle of confinement. Release will come no later than 2013 for me, and, like Frederick Douglass — the former slave who worked tirelessly to abolish slavery — I intend to emerge from prison as a strong voice for prison reform.

Photo Credit: jurvetson