OPINION: Let’s be smart on crime, not just tough on crime

Our nation incarcerates a higher percentage of its population than any other country in the world, and our state incarcerates a higher percentage than any other state. Annually, Alaska spends about $400 million to incarcerate people. That’s about 25% more state funds than we spend on the University of Alaska.

Incarceration tends to impact people who are already disadvantaged and struggling. A study by RAND, a think tank, found that nationwide, more than 70% of inmates have the literacy skills of a fourth-grader, making it hard for them to get a job, earn a living and find and afford housing. Often their family members have a record of incarceration. When a prisoner is released, his or her criminal record makes it even harder to become a self-supporting, law-abiding member of the community. Ninety-eight percent of all prisoners are eventually released, but the majority of those released return to prison within three years.

This is a self-reinforcing and expensive cycle. But by assisting returning citizens to gain lawful employment upon release, we can stop making bad lives worse.

There is some good news: Recently, the ADN featured a program at Wildwood Prison that is giving inmates an opportunity to become licensed barbers, a highly marketable skill after release. The article noted that “people who find quality employment after prison are about half as likely to return to prison as those who do not.” Employment was found to be the “single most important” factor in decreasing recidivism.

Alaska’s Department of Corrections Commissioner, Jen Winkelman, has described the barber certification at Wildwood as “part of a broader effort by the Alaska Department of Corrections to equip people serving prison time with vocational skills that will lead to employment after release. At Wildwood alone, inmates can work towards a commercial driver’s license or a welding certification. The programs are competitive to get into and require good behavior.”

The ADN article concluded with a paragraph describing one of the former prisoners who was benefiting from the barber training program. He said he still feels institutionalized and has trouble shaking the expectation that doors will lock and every room will hold surveillance cameras. From the article: “Half his lifetime passed in prison, and he’s still adjusting to the fresh new wonders of being free in the world. But when he’s at work, it falls away, he said. He focuses on the haircut in front of him. The rest can wait.”

In examining ways to reduce incarceration it is useful to look at the work of Partners for Progress, Inc. (Partners), an Alaska non-profit organization that was created 20 years ago with the mission of reducing incarceration and protecting the public. Partners does this in two ways: by supporting therapeutic courts, a program run by the Alaska Court System to prevent incarceration of otherwise intractable DUI offenders; and by operating a walk-in Prisoner Reentry Center designed to assist homeless re-entrants on the first day they are released from prison.

The initial program, therapeutic courts, has proven its effectiveness. About two out of three therapeutic court graduates do not re-offend. This tough 18-month program combines the coercive powers of the court with assistance and treatment to overcome addiction. Monitoring for sobriety is intense; sanctions for relapse are immediate and can include community work service, volunteering to assist others, writing a paper, as well as more meetings and drug testing.

The second program, Partners Reentry Center, provides same-day housing and several months of assistance to formerly incarcerated individuals who would otherwise be homeless. Partners’ building is strategically located at 4th Ave. and Barrow Street. Most returning citizens are released in the parking lot of the Anchorage Jail. It is easy for them to reach Partners’ building by walking up the hill from the jail to Fourth and Barrow. Assistance includes housing, case management, employment, support groups and referrals to health and addiction clinicians.

Since Partners Reentry Center opened about 10 years ago (Aug. 2013), it has assisted 8627 individuals statewide, most receiving housing until they were employed and self-supporting. In January 2024 the Center averaged 18-20 re-entrants daily. Of those currently housed, 68% are employed.

Today, many organizations work together to assist formerly incarcerated Alaskans. There are eight Reentry Coalitions across the state. Further, and most importantly, the Alaska Legislature has expressed support for funding reentry efforts to help returning citizens rejoin their communities.

Congratulations to Alaska’s many successful returning citizens. Your success helps others and benefits your state.

Janet McCabe is a member of the Partners for Progress Board of Directors. Doreen Schenkenberger, chief executive officer of Partners for Progress, helped write this commentary.

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