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Transcript - June 1, 2007
BRANCACCIO: Welcome to NOW. America is in the middle of a population crisis. Prison populations, that is.
How bad is it? Consider this: according to a study by the Pew Charitable Trusts, the prison population is currently growing three times faster than the country at a large.
And within five years, it will outnumber the population of the cities of Atlanta, Denver, and Baltimore combined.
Now that we have your attention, one state thinks it may have found a way to reduce prison overcrowding.
It focuses on reducing the number of offenders coming back into the system by making sure the system goes home with them when they get out...
Karla Murthy produced our report.
BRANCACCIO: If you want to see just how overcrowded prisons are in California, just ask Warden Mike Poulos to show you. He runs the California Institution for Men.
POULOS: We're sending a camera crew in here to take a look at the overcrowding conditions. Guys try and be on good behavior.
BRANCACCIO: This used to be a room where inmates could leave their cells to watch TV or play cards. Not anymore...
POULOS: We've converted it up into a housing unit—we have 43 inmates now housed in here. So double bunked. And you can see the conditions that they're in.
BRANCACCIO: But it gets worse ... Then he takes us to what used to be the gym.
POULOS: And you can see this whole side is triple bunked. How do you guys like the triple bunks. Sucks! Don't it though!
BRANCACCIO: To squeeze in all the inmates they've stacked any open space with bunk beds and there they sit.
POULOS: In order to house inmates, this is what we had to do. We needed space. And we crammed them like sardines in here.
BRANCACCIO: Decades of tough-on-crime laws have helped stuff California's prisons to the breaking point ... they currently hold 70,000 more inmates than they're designed for. It's gotten so bad - Governor Schwarzenegger has to come up with a plan to ease overcrowding or face intervention by the Feds.
Overcrowding is a complex problem, but the math is simple. There are more inmates coming in than getting out and staying out. In fact, a lot of these inmates have been to prison before. It's called recidivism—the big word we can't avoid in this story. Recidivism is the rate that inmates return back to prison within three years. And California has the highest rate in the country.
POULOS: Right now, seven out of every 10 inmates that leave this prison come back. We need to stop that revolving door. We need to stop them coming back and provide them with tools in order for them to do that.
BRANCACCIO: But how do you stop the revolving door? One answer may be thousands of miles away in Illinois.
70 miles outside of Chicago is the Sheridan Correctional Center. It was opened in 2004 with one mission - to prevent inmates that get out of prison from coming back in.
Warden Michael Rothwell gave us the "campus" tour.
BRANCACCIO: So this is it. You seem to have a lot of green here.
ROTHWELL: We have 95 acres inside the fence....
BRANCACCIO: Ok, there's barbed, anti-personnel wire ... but I have to say, the general effect is more collegiate than medium security prison. The warden says that's by design. Changing inmates' behavior begins the day they set foot in a new environment.
ROTHWELL: Change is not easy. We aren't going to ... you know, we're not here to fix people. We're here to start them on this process.
BRANCACCIO: To see how the system works - we spent time with three Sheridan inmates at different stages of that process...
We start with Chris Boulahanis. He has spent the last ten years of his life, in and out of prison ... a life of crime fueled by drug addiction.
BOULAHANIS: Well, I started doing cocaine when I was about 20, 21. Instead of holding down a job, I just chose to get high all the time. And being that I wasn't working, I needed some way to support my drug habit. And I chose crime.
BRANCACCIO: Over the years, he's been picked up for possession of a stolen motor vehicle, theft, delivery of cocaine. This is his fourth prison sentence. But when he heard about Sheridan, he hoped that this prison term would be his last.
BOULAHANIS: My first thought is, "Well, I need to go there." (CHUCKLE) That was my first thought, "I need to go there. I need some help."
BRANCACCIO: Inmates volunteer to come to Sheridan. No murderers or sex offenders allowed, but the guys here are still a tough bunch. Most have been arrested 9 to 16 times - and have served more than one prison sentence. And like Chris Boulahanis, all Sheridan inmates have a substance abuse problem.
Deanne Benos has worked closely with the Illinois Governor and is the architect behind Sheridan.
BENOS: What is the one thing that we can do to reduce crime, was the question we began with. And everyone said, well, of course drugs. Drugs are a leading cause. So, you're just gonna put a bunch of inmates together in a prison and just give them drug treatment and they'll be all better. And what we found is that it's—it's a lot more than about the drug problem.
BRANCACCIO: She says it makes sense to help inmates get clean before they get out. But if you really want to change criminal behavior, it also takes getting an education and getting a job.
BENOS: We're saying through Sheridan, you're gonna go to prison. But it's gonna be hard work. And you're gonna address that drug addiction. And you're gonna learn how to get a job. And you're gonna get an education. And you're gonna meet your obligation to your family.
BRANCACCIO: And for the inmates at Sheridan, that means a full day's schedule. Boulahanis and his fellow inmates go through three hours a day of group therapy where they deal with substance abuse, family issues counseling and anger management. Then another three more hours for classroom education and lots of job training.
BOULAHANIS: It's not like the way of life I was used to living, get up whenever I want, get high whenever I want. It was—very structured, and something that I wasn't used to.
ROTHWELL: I had an inmate one day tell me, he said Warden, he said, I don't know about this. He said it's just like work. And I said, that's great because by having this kind of structure they get used to a daily routine that they can then carry on into the community.
BRANCACCIO: Boulahanis has been working with the Illinois manufacturing foundation at Sheridan for 13 months learning a trade other than crime. Other work programs include welding, computer training, gardening. When Boulahanis leaves, he'll be certified as a basic machinist.
But what is even more unusual at Sheridan is all the induced soul searching ... the daily hours of therapy aimed at recognizing patterns of thinking that lead to getting high, lead to breaking the law, and lead back to prison.
GATSON-ROWE: When the clients first get here, they're dealing with image. They're—they come in and they think they have to come in and they have to be tough.
BRANCACCIO: Linda Gatson-Rowe is a counselor here. She says that inmates have to confront what's behind that tough exterior. They have to learn that it's ok to talk about their emotions. And she says, inmates learn how to do that from each other.
GATSON-ROWE: So what happens when they see this big tough guy from the last incarceration and they see this guy sitting here, sharing his feelings. It's like whoa. If it worked for him, it just might work for me. And so they begin to give it a chance. But it takes some time.
BRANCACCIO: The end result are meetings like this. Boulahanis has already gone through hundreds of hours of group therapy. And today, he and his fellow inmates are discussing a report he's prepared for dealing with the risk of relapse once he leaves Sheridan.
BOULAHANIS: Says identify high-risk situations. Being around drugs and or drug users. Not using my time properly. Hookers and bust downs. It says, what are you going to do if a relapse occurs? I put, don't lie about it. And seek help. You know, 'cause that was some of my problems before.
INMATE: Leaving up out of here without a job and no money, that—that immediately puts you in a high-risk situation to return to some criminal activity. So how you gonna handle that?
BOULAHANIS: I know criminal activities are what got me here. So I'm just gonna have to be patient and avoid them.
INMATE: How you gonna deal and cope with going through a Home Depot, Menard or a big store like that, remembering how you used to just burglarize and take things. How you gonna deal with that when the temptation comes?
BOULAHANIS: There is no reason that I should have to take something any more. I mean, I'm not in my addiction. I'm not using right now. I'm sure, you know, if I walk by an open garage I'm sure I'd be thinking about, hey, I should take all that sh*t. But if I react to take that stuff, I might as well put the cuffs on myself.
INMATE: You ask your grandmamma, your auntie, grandma, let me get $20. Auntie, let me get $20. And the first thing they say; What you need $20 for? Oh, he must be getting high again. Even though you might need it for bus fare and lunch money. And—and that—that tend to build up resentment. What she questioning me for?
BOULAHANIS: I think they earn that right to ask me, And if anybody should have resentments, it's them towards me, not me towards them. I mean that's—you know, I got a lot to pay them back for.
ROTHWELL: Once they see that people here that we're trying to help them change, you know, we're not going to do it for 'em, uh, then they, they do very well.
BRANCACCIO: Does anybody ever flunk out of the system?
ROTHWELL: Sure, sure. I would say probably, 25% don't make it, um, just because they're, they're not ready.
BRANCACCIO: Well what do you say to somebody who says, look prison is for punishment. If you do something wrong you should go in there and have a really bad time. That will act a deterrent so when you get out you don't do your crimes again?
ROTHWELL: Well that, that's a thorny debate when you talk about the notion of punishment. Eventually these guys are gonna get out and they're gonna be behind you in the Wal-Mart line or in the grocery store. You know, do you want us to do nothing for them to change the way they've been behaving for the last 20 years or so or do you want us to try and make a change so that when they do come out they're able to contribute to the community rather than take away from it? Most people say I would rather you do something than do nothing.
BRANCACCIO: Chris Boulahanis has 30 more days at Sheridan. Then he'll have the chance to prove to himself and others that he's really changed. That, of course, is the real test ... do these guys really make it once they're let out? Does the Sheridan approach really work?
CLEMONS: How many of ya'll serious about changing ya'll life right now?
BRANCACCIO: Shrong Clemons is about to being that test. Today is his last day at Sheridan.
CLEMONS: It's gonna be hard. I've been down here 20 months....
BRANCACCIO: During those 20 months prison officials have been so impressed by his rehabilitation. He was asked to give some advice to a group of new inmates ...
CLEMONS: And I congratulate every last one of ya'll for making the choice to come down here. That shows that ya'll want to change.
BRANCACCIO: He says before coming to Sheridan he'd never thought anyone would see him as a role model.
CLEMONS: I looked back on it, I was—I was a hot mess. A dressed up garbage can.
BRANCACCIO: This is Clemons' third prison sentence. He was a heroin addict, was in a gang, and dealt drugs in his neighborhood back in Chicago.
CLEMONS: I have been shot. I have been stabbed. I had a gun pointed at my head. I done put a gun up to my own head. I don't want that no more. I want to live today
INMATES: Good luck to you.
BRANCACCIO: It's the next morning. Clemons is starting his new life. He's now out on parole for two years.
The other times he was released from prison nobody came to pick him up. But this time it's different.
JOHNSON: I'm proud of you. 20 months in, coming out successfully, and now we're embarking on this journey.
BRANCACCIO: Tommie Johnson is taking Clemons back to Chicago. He's a counselor with a group called Treatment Alternatives for Safer Communities or TASC. And they help all Sheridan inmates make the transition to the real world.
JOHNSON: So, I'm gonna push you a little bit, you understand that? I'm gonna have some expectations. And—but it's gonna be alright. We're gonna get through it together. I got your back.
BRANCACCIO: Don't miss this part: It's what especially stands out about the Sheridan model. The program doesn't end at the prison gates, but continues through the entire parole process, which is at least months, but could be years.
JOHNSON: Back in Chicago!
CLEMONS: Wow
BRANCACCIO: Clemons is going to spend at least 90 days here at St. Leonard's. It's a dormitory situation that helps former inmates to transition back into society.
INTAKE PERSON: You're home man You're here. Now you got to do the footwork...
CLEMONS: It's still got to marinate.
INTAKE PERSON: It takes time.
CLEMONS: I'm finally out.
JOHNSON: This is when my job really starts. At this point now I have to make sure that he understands the realities. That he needs to understand that there's a real possibility that he can go back to jail.
BRANCACCIO: Tommie Johnson says the first 30 days on parole are an extremely vulnerable time. No job yet, no money, the pull of criminal old friends and old patterns beckoning. Johnson's worried that Clemons will want too much too fast.
JOHNSON: He's gonna be faced with some real choices. He's gonna have to make some decisions. And each one of those decision and choices that he makes—have—is gonna have impact on his life.
BRANCACCIO: Johnson will be Clemons' main case manager while he's on parole, but he won't be the only person helping him out.
JOHNSON: You got all these people here, all these resources. It's up to you to put 'em to use.
BRANCACCIO: The following week Clemons is meeting with folks from a bunch of community organizations. There's the Safer Foundation- who will help Clemons get a job. Gateway Foundation will help him deal with his drug addiction. Even his parole officer is here.
AGENT BARNES: Make sure you stay connected with these community partners so that you can successfully discharge off parole and be a productive member of society. You could do that.
AGENT BARNES:
You can do that with no -
CLEMONS:
I can, I am doing it.
AGENT BARNES:
Alright, alright, alright.
BRANCACCIO: They're his new support network - all part of and paid for by the Sheridan program.
BENOS: The Sheridan budget is the first budget in state history that includes a community budget. Dollars follow the inmates in the Sheridan program back to the community to have tighter supervision of them. And to continue their efforts to address their drug addiction, get jobs and take care of their families.
BRANCACCIO: But it's the job of the Illinois prison system to worry about how communities deal with —with people in their midst?
BENOS: The Department of Corrections has a legal obligation to oversee not only 44,000 inmates in our prisons, but 35,000 parolees in our communities. And when people go home, we should be spending our resources in an effective way to reduce their risk to society.
BRANCACCIO: But how much should we be spending? Sheridan isn't cheap. It costs about 10 to 12 million dollars more per year than a regular prison. But Deanne Benos says it's better to pay more now than later.
BENOS: Would you rather spend the money to rehabilitate someone? Or would you rather face the consequences of their repeat criminal behavior? Sheridan offenders were arrested nine to sixteen times. That's nine to sixteen offenses in their lifetime against the public, due to a drug addition. And if we can curtail that problem, society will be safer. And you can't put a price on that.
BRANACCIO: After 10 days at St. Leonard's - Shrong Clemons gets his first weekend pass. He takes us to the west side of Chicago where he used to deal drugs.
CLEMONS: This is my area, where I grew up at, hung on the corner
here, all down the block, doing my dirt. I got shot at while I was right
here. I had to duck behind a car and run in this store here.
BRANCACCIO: This is the first time he's been back here in three years. Soon enough some people recognize him ... but not as the drug dealer he used to be ...
WOMAN: He looks good—I gotta shake your hand...
WOMAN: All right, so you came up to visit the hood, huh?
CLEMONS: Yeah, I got to start giving back to the hoods now. I took from
them. Now it's time to give back.
All right—ya'll take it easy.
BRANCACCIO: This has happened before. Since he's been out people have been seeing Clemons in a new way.
BRANCACCIO: Did it surprise you that they called out to you and talked to you?
CLEMONS: Very much. I—ya'll talkin' to me? And he was like, "Yeah, you. Come here. Shrong, come here."
BRANCACCIO: And before, what? They would've been a little scared of you?
CLEMONS: Or, when you goin' back home? Meaning, prison.
BRANCACCIO: Meaning prison?
CLEMONS: Right.
BRANCACCIO: So Shrong, you're out of prison. You're here. There's no lock on that gate. You just move that bolt, and you could walk out of here. Any temptation to do that?
CLEMONS: No. Not today. And I'm not goin' back down that negative road. Because the next time, I might not get up. I might be six feet deep.
BRANCACCIO: It's still too soon to know what will happen. If he'll find a job ... get back on his feet. But while Shrong Clemons is just starting parole, Benjamin Harper is already a year into his.
HARPER: It's a good day for me today. I get to go where I can be free.
BRANCACCIO: Today he's moving back home. He's been out of Sheridan almost a year and has been staying at this place called Gateway - one of the Sheridan partners. He just completed the drug treatment program here.
PAROLE AGENT: A lot of guys start and don't make it... and you did and I'm really proud of you. Good luck and god speed.
HARPER: See it's always something different when you earn something. The piece of paper that I get letting me know I accomplished another thing,
BRANCACCIO: Harper says he'd been dealing drugs since he was ten years old ... and had been to prison four times. Now he has held down a steady job as a foreman at a warehouse for the last few months.
But it's been a rough road. Seven months out of Sheridan, Harper had a drug relapse. He was hanging out with the wrong people and got high.
HARPER: So I picked up my phone and called Mr. Johnson. And I begged him. I told him, "I done relapsed. And I've been—please get me some help."
BRANCACCIO: Like Clemons, Harper also has a support network ... including Tommie Johnson.
HARPER: He didn't say, "I'm gonna send you back to the penitentiary." He say, "I'm gonna send you where you can get help."
BRANCACCIO: This is a big difference in this Illinois system. Somewhere else that drug relapse could have been taken as a violation of parole and caused a trip back to prison. Here, Harper gets the support he needs to stay clean, sober, and gainfully employed.
HARPER: It made me feel like, somebody actually cared about me this time. And that was something that I won't —I won't forget. Serious—I will not forget, you know.
BRANCACCIO: Now that's he's going home ... Harper realizes the challenge is really never over...
HARPER: It's for the rest of my life it's a fight. But I gotta to just work through it secondly, hourly, daily.
BRANCACCIO: So how many guys like Benjamin Harper succeed? When it comes to measuring recidivism, three years is a magic number. Sheridan hasn't been open long enough, so the official numbers are not yet in. But so far- the Illinois Corrections Department says their go-back-to-jail number is down almost 30%. Deanne Benos says it's a good start.
BENOS: The previous philosophy of warehousing 22,000 more people and watching the recidivism rates go through the roof didn't work. And we are starting to have progress one day at a time in reducing crime and making communities safer.
BRANCACCIO: Do you see this as maybe a national model?
BENOS: That's the goal.
PETERSILIA: I'm trying to get California to think hard—about implementing what they're doing in Illinois.
BRANCACCIO: Back in California - Joan Petersilia has been looking for answers to their massive prison problem. California has prison rehab programs in the past, but they either lost their funding or failed to reduce recidivism. Petersilia's been trying to get Governor Schwarzenegger to incorporate some of the Sheridan model into his prison reform plan ... especially the community part.
PETERSILIA: I think this is what Illinois has done so well. They have recognized prisons cannot solve this problem. They only way this problem will ultimately be solved in the long run is communities taking responsibility for the prisoners coming home to their community.
BRANCACCIO: Last month Governor Schwarzenegger signed a new prison reform law. For the first time - construction dollars for new prisons will be tied to the success of the rehabilitation and community programs like Sheridan to drive recidivism down.
BRANCACCIO: Just last Friday in Illinois - Chris Boulahanis was released from Sheridan.
BOULAHANIS: Get to go home today. I'm a little excited about this. It's been a long time coming
BRANCACCIO: He now gets the chance to prove to himself and the world that his words are more than talk.
BOULAHANIS: This is not a cure. I mean this is only steps in how to deal with my problem. They gave me all the tools here that I need. Now I—need to use 'em.
BRANCACCIO: From New York, I'm David Brancaccio. We'll see you next week.
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