THE FIVE PILLARS OF CORRECTIONS

While visiting Clinton C.F. Commissioner of Corrections, Daniel Martuscello looked me directly in my eyes and said, "You don't have to be defined by the worst mistake you ever made...", and I believed him. A selfish sense of entitlement made me think these words of encouragement were exclusively for me.

But it wasn't.

It was for every Incarcerated Individual striving towards rehabilitation and reintegration back into society. However, belief without actions is why most people believe in religion but are trapped in the revolving doors of sin and repentance. This is similar to the Department of Corrections and their losing battle with recidivism. If the goal of Corrections is to correct deviant behavior and reintroduce individuals back into society it can't be all talk and no action. The D.O.C's objectives must be held up by Pillars that support its goals.

Pillars are fundamental principles of a structure that support an institution and its goal and objectives. Realization, Remorse, Rehabilitation, Redemption, and Reintegration are The 5 Pillars Corrections should utilize to support its goals, bring about prison reform, and transform people into productive citizens of society.

1. Realization - n. The act of realizing. To comprehend completely and/or correctly.

The first Pillar Corrections is "Correcting" is an individual's way of thinking. This helps him/her recognize, and realize, their involuntary inheritance of antisocial behaviors and destructive habits. The threat of prison wasn't a deterrent for most of us because, culturally, we were taught that it was a Rites of Passage. Going to prison is a Badge of Courage that is celebrated where we come from. Some kids look forward to their Bar Mitzvahs. We looked forward to doing our "first bid." We have to relearn how our former way of thinking (actions, and reactions) contributed to our current conditions of confinement. We have to desensitize ourselves of the stigmas attached to "Doing the Right Thing." We have to learn how to be receptive to alternative behaviors that are more conducive to our health, wealth, and well-being, as well as the well-being of our environments and those around us. We have to learn, unlearn and relearn accountability and the fact that Conflict Resolution is more valuable than acting on emotions and impulse. But this is easier said than done. You cannot recognize what you've never seen before.

2. Remorse - n. Moral anguish arising from repentance for past misdeeds, bitter regret. It is against the law to contact victims connected to our cases. But, if I could speak with Michael's Falcone's mother, I would simply tell her, "I'm sorry." I wouldn't ask for her forgiveness but I would ask her to accept my apologies because I understand the hurt I caused her. I'm sorry for her loss. I'm sorry for not being man enough to do something that could have prevented her from losing her son. More importantly, I'm sorry for not being able to pay her the proper respects during her time of grieving, or being a part of her healing process. I can only hope that my helping to heal Hurt People, like myself, will prevent anyone from hurting people like her, and her son, in the future. I am 100% responsible for the events that led to the death of Michael Falcone. I was 22-23 years old when this crime took place. I have remorsefully spent 32 years of my life rehabilitating and working diligently to repay my debt to society. I am not the same person I was 32 years ago. I am rehabilitated. I am healed. I am a "Better" version than I was 32 ago. We can only develop this sense of remorse if we realize our actions were both incorrect and inhumane. We have to be taught how to take accountability for our actions. But this is easier said than done. You cannot recognize what you've never seen before.

3. Rehabilitation - v. To restore to good health or useful life, as through therapy. The D.O.C. is duplicitous in their approach to correcting and rehabilitation because "Effective" rehabilitation would affect the stability of their careers and the job security of their peers. One generation of "Effective" programming would not only allow Corrections to send rehabilitated people back into society - It will also allow these people to sow seeds into the next generation so they wouldn't have to make the same mistakes they made (i.e. coming to prison in the first place). That spells disaster for a demographic of people who rely on crime, prisons, and how it stimulates their local economy. These are the same people that decide what programs are implemented in prison. The administration has learned how to "Check the Boxes" by providing outdated and un-relatable programming that only masks symptoms of Depression, Anti-Social Disorders, P.T.S.D., and Mental Health, etc. only for them to resurface as Alcoholism and Chemical Dependencies and Crime. This curriculum is an exercise in futility. It is designed to fail. It is disingenuous to attempt to rehabilitate a group of people when doing so is counterproductive to your career and bottom line. "Effective" rehabilitation can only come from those who have been rehabilitated. It's hard to understand a criminal mind if you've never committed a crime.

4. Redemption - n. To recover ownership by payment of a specific sum.

Show me a successful man and I'll show you a man who paid for that success with the currency of time. We have to pay a debt to society, and our payment is the time we had to lose in order to discover what was already there; Empathy, Compassion, and being a productive member of society. Once we trudge through the transformational stages of rehabilitation we are rewarded by reclaiming our pride, our dignity, and a brand-new sense of humanity. It is only then that we're ready to rejoin society and be the fathers our mothers inspired us to be, and the men our fathers raised us to be. But once again, it's hard to recognize what you've never seen before.

5. Reintegration - V. To make whole what has been segregated.

The last and most important pillar of Corrections is reintegration. A wise man once said, “every saint had a past, and every sinner has (the potential to have) a future.” We need innovative programming and prison reform that will allow former sinners to become saints they could potentially be. They should be evaluated every ten years to measure their commitment towards rehabilitation. If our prison systems are designed to correct and rehabilitate, shouldn’t it reevaluate every situation individually and give those who are deserving a second chance?

It has been proven that rehabilitating and reintegrating incarcerated individuals back to society is more cost effective than feeding, clothing, and providing them medical care. Statistics show that people over 55, who serve more than 25 years in prison develop an emotional and intellectual maturity that translates into what analytics call "crime menopause." These people have no desire to commit crime or participate in criminal activity. These people are less likely to offend than any demographic. Why are they still in prison!?!? The current condition of Corrections breeds hopelessness and distrust. It provides programming that only masks the symptoms of anguish and aggression, only for it to resurface as something bigger and stronger like drug addiction and alcoholism. Our behavior is reinforced, not “corrected."

The objective of Correctional Facilities should be to “correct” harmful behavior and facilitate methods of rehabilitation, not warehouse and drain taxpayers of millions of dollars every year. Implementing the 5 Pillars of Corrections into DOCCS’ curriculum supports their Correctional goals of safety and rehabilitation while also helping incarcerated individuals become viable Pillars of their communities.

---

Edward Summers is a "Professional Prisoner", Rehabilitation Coach, and the Creator and Founder of The O.U.I. "We" Positive Motivation Program.