Caring Causes: Justice Reform

Writing in the Washington Times, Pat Nolan, Founder of the  Nolan Center for Justice Reform with the American Conservative Union Foundation, notes the hardships endured by family members when a parent is incarcerated.  Inmates are often assigned prisons that are hundred or thousands of miles away from home, making visits difficult. Here is part of his story.

My imprisonment caused serious disruptions for my family. I was no longer able to provide the financial and emotional support they needed. There is a tremendous cost to imprisonment that goes far beyond the loss of income. Gail was on her own with no one to “spell” her and take over when she was exhausted. When all three children came down with chicken pox at the same time, my wife was at the end of her rope. Had I been at home we could have taken turns caring for the children.

Even prison visits could be traumatic. My daughters were shocked and wide-eyed with fear when a prions officer screamed at my wife for setting little Jamie down on the counter at the security checkpoint to get her license out. “You can’t start another line,” he screamed. The girls had never seen their mother treated with such disrespect.

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Losing a parent to prison often results in poverty that long outlasts the parent’s release because employment opportunities are few and far between when they return home. These children may face disruptions that can land them in foster care. They are likely to have difficulty in school. They may be stigmatized and ostracized by their peers. Lacking positive role models to encourage pro-social behavior, too many of these children will engage in delinquent behaviors and land themselves in jail.

The criminal justice system doesn’t have to remain such an impediment to strong families. And we have some powerful examples of better alternatives. In Washington state the Family Offender Sentencing Alternative (FOSA) grants judges the power to waive a prison sentence for a parent convicted of a felony, and instead impose specialized community supervision with treatment and programming, provided by the state Department of Corrections, Community Corrections Division. Washington’s FOSA program has a remarkable 10-year record of success in keeping families together while reducing the rate of reoffending more than 71 percent.

I had a chance to interview him to learn more.

How did your experience as an inmate change your outlook on sentencing?

It made me see how much all of us inmates missed our families, and many encountered problems with finances and also children acting out in way the custodial spouse/girlfriend could not handle.

 

Why should focusing on maintaining family be something that both liberals and conservatives can agree on?

Despite differences in outlook the thing that unites most on Left and Right is respect for human dignity, and concern that children be raised in a healthy and safe environment.

 

What are some examples of non-prison programs with FOSA?

Parenting, substance abuse counseling, mental health treatment, vocational training, cognitive change programs, and life skills classes.

 

How can people advocate for more family-oriented sentencing decisions?

Contact their elected officials in both federal and state governments; discuss among friends, at PTA meetings, Bible Studies; and, write letters to the editor.

Pat Nolan was previously Republican Leader of the California State Assembly and is the founder and director of the Nolan Center for Justice Reform at the American Conservative Union Foundation.