RE-ENTRY: Experience says no way

From 1992 to 2003, with a master’s in psychotherapy, I ran the B yard “Pre Release” program for California State Prison, Los Angeles County at Lancaster. I created a program called The Lazarus Process, designed to mentor men as they paroled. Ultimately, The Lazarus Process went through the California Assembly and the California Senate, and was vetoed by then Gov. Davis. Sadly, he said that California had an existing program that helped parolees upon release called The California Paroles system. Paroles in California had/has a horrendous reputation as “the enemy of the parolee.”

Now to the point. I directed every ounce of energy to prompt successful paroles. I found the inmates to be uniquely convinced that they were going to turn their lives around. The penal system of California did very little after release to give them much of an opportunity to succeed. The recidivism rate was near 100%. The prison was a maximum security setting.

While incarcerated, most men’s families moved to the local areas where their families absorbed huge sums from city and county programs designed to assist parolee families. Families of inmates were highly prone to offending the law, and the reputation of Lancaster was definitely adversely affected. Many parolees opted to stay in Lancaster upon release. The idea of exposing Coeur d’Alene to this nightmare is NOT a good idea. I would be willing to further discuss this issue with our city.

RONALD DEADY

Post Falls