Prison powwow's message: ‘You are not forgotten'

California is shifting to expand programs that help give incarcerated people the skills and knowledge they need to effectively transition back into society. Various re-entry programs for men and women across the state that connect people with education and job resources helped dropped recidivism rates from 44.6% to 41.9%, based on the state’s most recent data, and also cost taxpayers less than the average cost of incarceration.

Utah’s Higher Education for Incarcerated Youth program provides free college-level courses for credit to help young people who are incarcerated get college-ready. Those who do not pass the screening test to take college-level classes can take classes for high school credit instead.

Various First Nations communities and organizations are using ground penetrating radar (GPR) to uncover lost indigenous grave sites. So far, Indigenous groups across Canada have used GPR and other technologies to identify more than 1,800 possible graves at former residential schools and the movement is also making strides throughout the U.S.

To the Gwich’in Athabascan people living inside the Arctic Circle in Alaska, the decades-long fight against oil drilling in the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) represents more than an environmental struggle: It has sparked a spiritual and cultural renaissance among indigenous people whose customs had been discouraged since colonial days. Young Gwich’in have worked to revive their language, self-sufficiency, and traditional arts and crafts. The COVID-19 pandemic has only deepened their commit to respond to threats to their way of life.

At Connecticut’s MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution, people experiencing incarceration have the opportunity to participate in postsecondary classes, even completing a certificate or degree. They’re able to do this because of the Second Chance Pell pilot program, started in 2015, which offers financial aid for inmates to access education. With bipartisan support, there’s hope that the pilot program will grow, as current research shows how the programming reduces recidivism and saves tax dollars.

Home-sharing programs help formerly incarcerated individuals avoid homelessness. The Homecoming Project, operated by Impact Justice, a nonprofit in California, leverages the sharing economy model to reduce homelessness and recidivism among ex-prisoners. The program pairs individuals leaving prison with good records with hosts willing to share their homes. The arrangement provides stability and a supportive environment for ex-prisoners to reintegrate into the community.

Since 2016, the Second Chance Pell program has been providing financial aid for those experiencing incarceration to pursue a college education. Started under the Obama administration, it has gained bipartisan support and traction in the Trump administration as well. Considering 90% of incarcerated individuals will be released, the Second Chance Pell program serves as a demonstrated commitment to reduce recidivism and mass incarceration.

A piece of bipartisan legislation was introduced to the United States’ Senate in February 2018 that would give individuals in incarceration access to Pell Grants, thus increasing their college education opportunities. While the bill was not enacted, it is part of an ongoing process of reinstating access to Pell Grants for prisoners from the Obama administration, who gave limited access in its Second Chance program. This bill speaks to the largely bipartisan cultural shift that embraces the need to invest in correctional education in order to prevent recidivism.

At Spring Creek Correctional Center, profits from the prison store are shared among seven prison clubs. The clubs operate like nonprofits, bringing educational opportunities, music, plants, and more to inmates and donating extra funds to organizations on the outside. The system improves quality of life and offers leadership opportunities.

A recently proposed Canadian law would create comprehensive support for the repatriation of cultural objects back from museums to First Nations people. The law addresses a common and critical hurdle for repatriation: funds for the transport and safe storage of objects upon their return.