The Problem
Watch this short video and hear these men describe, in their own words, how they feel they failed themselves and why past programs and approaches have been ineffective.
The most common complaints about treatments and programs inmates have experienced in the past.
Not Impactful
Other programs didn't challenge or change their current thinking or how they perceived the world around them, their past, present or future. They didn't help them understand how their brains work, that they are capable of changing, and most importantly, that they are worth changing.
Impersonal
Inmates feel they are given instruction on what their feelings and behaviors need to be in order to get better outcomes. They aren't provided the tools to understand the cause as to why they feel and react the way they do and how to change them. When there are only consequences for failing, they are simply complying rather than truly changing.
Lack Connection
They didn't feel the counselor or facilitator understood or could relate to what they thought, felt, or experienced in their lives. This resulted in them disengaging, and feeling they couldn't trust them with their thoughts and emotions for fear they would be wrong and validate their belief they were broken.
Unaddressed Trauma
Most inmates are unaware that what they experienced growing up was trauma or how that trauma impacts the way they think, feel, and react in the present.
If 90% of the inmates tried other programs or therapy and didn't understand what they experienced was trauma or how it affects their behavior, they didn't effectively address the underlying cause if at all.
Low Self-Worth
Most inmates suffer from low self-worth and self-esteem issues. They have never had anyone show them how to see and feel their worth or provide a way to increase their self-esteem.
Without understanding they can change or believing in their worth, importance, or value, they aren't motivated to change.
The High Cost of
TRAUMA
The Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) Study done in 1995 provided overwhelming evidence that childhood trauma is a key predictor of negative later in life outcomes which includes drug use and violence. What's more is that children growing up in this environment often repeat the same patterns because they too experience trauma and these negative behaviors are a normalized.
Our current solutions to reduce crime address the symptoms of the problem rather than the problem itself. In fact, our current approaches actually contribute to the problem.
ACE score comparison between Cass County Jail men and national average of men
76% of the male inmates scored a 4 (out of 10) or higher on the Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) assessment. (compared to a national average of 9.2% of men who scored a 4 or higher.)
ACE Assessments
The ACE study conducted in 1995 showed that individuals who experienced 4 or more trauma markers under the age of 18 were significantly more likely to experience negative later in life outcomes such as:
Suicide Attempt:
Intravenous Drug Use:
Alcohol Abuse:
Depression:
1,200% more likely
1,000 more likely
700% more likely
500% more likely
The Desire To Change
At the beginning of each class inmates are asked if they want to change their lives and all of them raise their hands.
They're then asked, "who knows how?" None of them raise their hands.
It isn't that they don't want to change, they simply don't understand the cause of their behaviors or how to change them. They haven't been taught "why" they think, feel or behave the way they do or the "how" to change them. They're taught "what" their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors should be.
Without understanding the cause of the problem, they focus on compliance rather than meaningful change. The result is a constant state of frustration and inner-conflict and often revert back to old patterns, reaffirming their feelings of failure, hopelessness, and self-loathing.
A majority of the inmates were currently in jail on drug related, non-drug, or non-violent charges.
Criminalizing addiction without providing effective treatment that addresses it's cause results in repeat offenses.
Types of Crimes
Paying the Price
Again and Again
According to data collected from Cass County inmates, a majority of them are repeat offenders with the average number of 18 jail stays each.
Been to jail more than once:
Average number of jail stays:
Average length of stay:
Cost per day for each inmate:
94%
18
20 Days
$114
The cost of housing each inmate in jail throughout their lifetime is:
$41K
This doesn't include the cost of law enforcement, investigations, prosecution, court, public defenders, etc.
How many times have you been to jail or prison?
Lock em Up
60% of the male inmates in the Cass County Jail grew up in a home with someone incarcerated.
According to the ACE study, children growing up with a member of the household incarcerated increases their trauma score.
When our solutions to crime focuses on hiring more police to catch "bad guys," building more jails and prisons to house them, and more correctional officers to manage them, the problem grows exponentially.
Our current approach not only makes the problem worse, we sentence the next generation to the same outcomes.
This doesn't mean we should allow laws to be broken without consequence. It means we need to allocate more resources to effectively address the cause of the problem.
%20copy.jpg)
Research shows that harsher sentences don't sway criminal activity since many do not anticipate getting caught. This lack of perception of consequence diminishes the efficacy of severe penalties as a deterrent.
Furthermore, individuals involved in criminal activities often act impulsively or under circumstances where rational decision-making is compromised, further reducing the impact of potential harsh punishments.
Additionally, imposing tougher penalties overlooks the "repeat offender mentality" that persists among many criminals. Family norms and repeated interactions with the criminal justice system often lead to individuals becoming accustomed to the lifestyle and view penalties as an occupational hazard, or even a source of pride, rather than a true deterrent.