Mar 26 2007
Inmates May Lose Honor Program
GUEST: California State Senator Gloria Romero
California State Senator Gloria Romero is sponsoring a bill to make the Honor Program at the State Prison in Los Angeles County the law. The bill would continue the program as well as lay the foundations for a statewide expansion. Originally created in 2000 by non-custody staff and prisoners themselves, the Honor Program accepts prisoners on the basis of good behavior. In its first year, the program proved its effectiveness by significantly reducing violence and weapon offenses, saving taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars. Additionally, there has never been any major violent incident in the Honor Program’s six years of existence. Now, despite its demonstrated success, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has considered terminating the honor program. The CDCR says accommodating an increasingly overcrowded prison population is forcing them to make the cut. State Senator Gloria Romero will be holding a hearing in Sacramento later today on her proposed bill, SB 299, to keep the honor program open.
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger can be reached at governor@governor.ca.gov or call 916-445-2841.
NOTE: Uprising was notified about this issue by two inmates at Lancaster State Prison, Dortell Williams and Cualanqi.
For more information, visit www.prisonhonorprogram.org.
Dortell Williams’ commentary on the prison honor program:
(edited for clarity)
Saving the Honor Yard
Riots, malaise, stabbings, and death have increasingly been the central theme among California’s lackluster prison system. Our prisons are infested with internal inmate politics, tainted with fostered racism and a thriving gang rivalry that all too often bubbles over into society. According to recent media reports society is now suffering from acute and unprecedented levels of these communicable ills. Yet there’s one shiny little presence of civility right in the backyard of Los Angeles County that works. It’s called the honor program. Here resides a peaceful conglomerate of self-reformed men who have agreed to get along. No racial politics here though we make up a rainbow of ethnicities. It is by no means a perfect place. No hotel living here. The state’s overcrowding purse still wafts it foul stench here like in any other facility.
Yet we’ve made up our minds to strive for personal growth and collective cultivation. So this is a high security maximum level facility. We’ve had no riots here since 2000 when we were granted permission to pilot the program. Our harvest overflows. With permission to buy painting brushes, our group, “Artists Serving Humanity,†has donated $50,000 to local charities. Prisoners in the eye-wear department refurbished eye glasses, among others. CROP, or Convicts Reaching Out to People, mentors at-risk youth here on the ground. We share in no uncertain terms, the dark path that got us here and point them to a more illuminated way. In the honor program, the skills of the prison population are utilized for higher learning. Spanish, anger management, creative writing, life skills and critical thinking are just some of the subjects we study. These you’d think would be a given in a “Department of Corrections.†Rewards for prisoners, staff, and society have been building. The following is a quote from Richard Faucet of the Los Angeles Times, “A study released by Lancaster Prison officials in 2003 compared illegal activity in the yard before and after the honor program was established. Weapons infractions had decreased 88%. Violence and threatening behavior dropped 85%. Drug related offenses and trafficking were down 43%.â€
Now prison staff are inexplicably working to disband the program. Why would anyone want to cancel such a money-saving, life-preserving success? That’s exactly what we’d like you to ask Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Senator Gloria Romero. Please email him at governor@ca.gov. Or call his office at 916-445-2811.
There’s no question that safer prisons mean a safer society. With a prisoner’s perspective, this is Dortell Williams.
Special thanks to Noelle Hanrahan.
2 Responses to “Inmates May Lose Honor Program”
I think it is wrong to take away,the programs that is helping the inmate most.I work out in the field and i come across alot of exconvicts who have just got out of prison,and all they talk about is how they took advantage of the prison honor program and now that they are out of prison they want to continue making positive strives and become the model citizens they should have been.I myself have sent so many ex-convicts to place of employmenst who does not judge them for past crimes,but how they perform on the job,and they come back to me all smiles.they got the job.Mr Schwarzenegger when you were voted into office you promise you would be for the people,not just some ,you said all the people you would listen to what we said,think about it.,and look around I think you have failed us in so many area.the three strike law should be revise ,its causing us tax payer so much money and its not fair. the babies who have to grow up without a father because of the both of you.The Time Should fit the Crime.you give prisoners ,who can be rehabilated all the tools they need to make a change to get them back into society as a productive citizen. give them the programs inside of the prisons,and a place to come to when they are parole so they won’t feel lost.you are our governor,you are supposed to help the people.do what you think is right. and don’t let the money steer you from making the right decision. you have come a long way to obtain your goals and you were not always doing the right thing and someone gave you a second chance.search deep in your heart and do the right thing and let those who are not harden criminals come home.with time serve.
do the right thing Arnold.thank you
A parole hearing took place for an honor yard inmate who has served almost 27 years. He was given praises that he has a place to go, will have family support and the parole board states they were pleased with all that he had done. He had complied with programming and work and had excellent reviews by C.O.’s regarding his ability to be trusted and requiring a minimum of observation. He matured in prison and has served + 27 years now and the sentence was life with the possibility of parole. He was given 3 years more and his attorney indicates that all who are being reviewed are being given by directive above —-up to 5 years in addition at this time although they have served their required time. All I can tell you first hand is that if he had not had a private attorney and if the attorney had not intervened with the board on the “5” years, they would have lost this man to the system. I believe the attorney was right in telling them that it would not benefit the community or his client to be given 5 years as he would have NO hope. It doesn’t take prisoners very long to loose hope when they have accomplished everything they were required to do and all of the required behaviors with maturity, work programing, and education weren’t enough. It sends a mixed message. The governor needs to stop this now. If the governor is not going to change this practice then the federal government should do a thorough investigation. Thank you for your work regarding the prison system. I wish I could do more.