Never Ending Crime and Punishment
One of the harshest realities of our criminal justice system is that punishment can be never ending. Walking through the prison gates doesn’t guarantee a fresh start. The lingering stigma of a previous conviction continues to haunt many former prisoners and often fuels their return to prison. Finding a job with a prison record is next to impossible, regulations bar them from public housing and many states have enacted punitive restrictions which make it next to impossible for former prisoners to regain their right to vote.
The Washington Post posted a recent blog on the high rate of unemployment among the formerly incarcerated in the DC area 46% , you can read the article here the article is based on a report by the Court Excellence Project, you can access the report here.
Harold Hill is luckier than most, he’s found a job and re-connected with family. His struggle to turn his life around was published in the Washington Post, you can read the article here
Strong Laws and Lax Enforcement
The DC police are being called out once again for failing to enforce laws that intended to protect gay, lesbian and transgender District residents from violence and intimidation based on their sexual identity. Activists have taken to the streets to put DC cops on blast. Read Police Chief Kathy Lanier’s response here.
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