What Does Prison Really Have to Offer?: The Plainfield Series
Free at last, Free at last! Or so you may think.
The criminal justice system is designed to put those who break the law in prison. In a perfect world, a prison is a means of reforming people to become functioning members of society, and once released, those people will be able to participate in that society having paid the debt for their crimes.
But of course this isn’t a perfect world. Those who are released from prison, especially in the state of New Jersey, are often unsupported and neglected in society.
I had the opportunity to sit down with T-rex, a Plainfield native who recently was released from Southern State Correctional Facility in Delmont, NJ. T-rex is living proof that once you leave the system, it is up to you to make a change in your life.
Prison Resources
T-rex was sentenced to 7 years with a 3-year stipulation for a non-violent drug charge and spent his sentence behind bars in a 2,000 capacity male prison in South Jersey. Prison advocates claim there are wonderful opportunities behind bars that will help improve the lives of inmates,T-rex said otherwise.
Southern State claims to offer inmates the opportunity to receive an education and tangible job experience for post-release. During his time, T-rex said the ‘resources’ were subpar to say the least. The opportunity to receive college credits are capped at the age of 24. If an inmate over the age of 24 wanted a post-secondary education, their family must pay for online classes which can cost a couple thousand dollars. With most inmates coming from some of the poorest counties in NJ, many cannot foot the bill. The only other job resource available during T-rex’s time at Southern State was the opportunity to receive a forklift license.
T-rex admitted there are other educational resources but they are for funding more than for education. The more programs a prison offers, the more funding the prison will receive from the state.
“The programs aren’t taken seriously because they aren’t taught seriously,” said T-rex. Classes and programs look good on a parole report and lowers an inmate’s points to reach a halfway house quicker. For some instructors, it’s just another job. A former Southern State employee said it was the ‘easiest teaching job’ they ever had, boasting that they never had to submit lesson plans and the benefits were great. Who knows what these inmates are being taught, if anything.
Halfway House
Once approved for release T-rex was transferred to Tully House in Newark, one of Jersey’s halfway houses. The transitional housing is meant to offer resources while at the same time preparing prisoners to re-enter society. T-rex admitted while the supervision helped him make that transition, at the same time it was a bit stagnant.
When first admitted into the halfway house, T-rex tried to enroll in school but was denied because he was not at the halfway house long enough. Residents are only able to attend community college despite having Rutgers Newark, Seton Hall and NJIT just a bus ride away. In order to attend a University, T-rex mentioned he would’ve needed approval from a board. He ended up not being able to enroll in school during his time at Tully.
Tully House had contracts with many companies in the area, so residents were able to get a job close by, mostly at fast-food chains and warehouses. Residents also had to pay rent at Tully House, approximately 30% of their income. The halfway house controls the money of the inmates by not letting them have their check, but depositing it into the Tully House bank account and giving inmates up to $50 a week of their own money. With this system, the halfway house is able to make quarterly interest off of the money inmates earn.
However, just like the prisons, the halfway house is a business whose end goal is to make money. So Tully House receives a check for each inmate that steps into its doors. Since it is about the money more than the help, T-rex said it is easy for someone to get sent back to prison over silly things because the halfway house knows there will be an inmate to replace them literally the next day. Himself being sent back the first go round over a lie his manager at the time told. In his opinion, there were only a few genuine staff members really trying to help.
“Not a lot of people working in the prison system are there to actually help prisoners.”
Overall, while T-rex at times said the halfway house was stagnant, the entire system can’t be categorized as such because in the end some people coming from prison need that much supervision to succeed. There is no curfew because inmates cannot leave unless they are going to work or school. Most of their earned money is withheld, there are visiting hours for family, and it’s a step closer to re-entering society. For him, he needed that bit of supervision to get used to being back in the community.
ISP
Once home, T-rex was placed on the Intensive Supervision Program (ISP), which is slightly stricter than parole. Under ISP, T-rex has a curfew every night, must meet with his officer every Wednesday, community service every Saturday, submit to random house visits and drug tests. To T-rex, it’s not that hard, but it’s something he wants to do. He gets to see his kids and family as often as he wants while still having that supervision to keep him focused.
There are currently four ISP offices and 12 Parole offices in NJ. The closest office to Plainfield is about a 30 minute drive away. For released inmates with no means of transportation this can serve as an issue. Missing a parole or ISP meeting is grounds for being sent back to prison.
Coming Home
After spending about a year in the halfway house, T-rex was finally able to come home. The hardest part he said was change, change being living day to day in society the right way. T-rex said the best resource he has throughout this whole process is his support system. His kids being the most important part of that.
“I never knew something so small, as your kids seeing you go to work everyday, can make a difference.”
Through talks, venting, and chasing his passions, T-rex is determined to live his life on the straight and narrow. He is a wonderful chef, interested in photography and music, making the best out of his situation.
“I want to do any and everything I am capable of doing!”
T-rex was beyond blessed to have the huge support system to help him during his journey through the criminal justice system. Unfortunately, not all inmates have this advantage. New Jersey currently has a recidivism rate of 53% meaning 1 out of 2 prisoners reoffend after release. One of the main reasons being lack of resources such as lack of housing, job opportunities, rehabilitation services, counseling and more. New Jersey needs to step it up to help those trying to re-enter society have a better shot at their second chance. There are a few organizations in this state fighting for prison reform such as New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, NeighborCorps Re-Entry Services, and more!
If you want to join the fight to end Mass Incarceration and push forward prison reform, look into the above organizations as well as other local organizations pushing for change!
