Catholic, state leaders take long look at criminal justice reform

PONTIAC — From early Church leaders in the first century to the 43,000 currently incarcerated in Michigan state prisons, the Catholic Church has long been an advocate for prisoners.

Today’s prisoners face minimum sentencing laws that force the hands of judges to prescribe longer sentences, as well as problems after their release, say local Catholic leaders, many of whom believe it’s time to improve the state’s criminal justice system.

In May, Gov. Rick Snyder pressed the need for reform, noting that it costs the state an average of $35,000 a year to house an inmate in a state prison, while room and board plus tuition at Michigan State University is just $23,136.

To lower the state’s inmate population, Gov. Snyder is pushing the Legislature to reform the state’s minimum sentencing laws and develop work programs for released convicts, changes that would be welcomed, said Sr. Peggy Devaney, IHM, a chaplain of the Pontiac Area Vicariate’s Jail and Outreach Ministry.

“Today’s situation for released convicts is more complicated than just sentencing laws,” Sr. Devaney said. “It’s some of the basics like making sure people have I.D. or have the job skills they need in order to be hired.”

The Jail and Outreach Ministry is a multi-faith nonprofit that helps convicted people acquire necessary skills and items to move on with their lives.

“The system is telling people who are released they will have a hard time being hired,” said Sr. Devaney, who also serves as the organization’s president. “We have people coming to us who are feeling hopeless, so we spend quality time with that person.”

Margaret Dillahunty, of Pontiac, suffered from a drug addiction and was incarcerated for shoplifting before meeting Sr. Devaney and deciding to volunteer.

“I met Sr. Peggy while I was incarcerated, and she sat on the floor right next to me,” Dillahunty said. “She supported me while I was incarcerated and got me through my addiction. That’s when I decided it’s what I wanted to do. So I stuck with Sr. Peggy, and it’s changed my life, and now I help other people get out.”

In a column in the June 26 issue of The Michigan Catholic, Paul A. Long, president of the Michigan Catholic Conference, also stressed the need for criminal justice reform.

“According to the Michigan Department of Corrections, 90 percent of those within the state corrections system will eventually return to society,” Long said. “Unfortunately, when many return, they struggle to find housing and jobs because of their record.”

The Jail and Outreach Ministry helps released convicts as well as victims of crime overcome the obstacles they face by finding appropriate clothing, housing, and bus tickets and schedules. The group also works with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul on Woodward Avenue in Pontiac in providing assistance.

One of those victims, Kath Locke of Pontiac, lost her husband and a child in a drive-by shooting and said the nonprofit was there in her time of need.

“During Christmas and Thanksgiving, the Jail and Outreach Ministry helped me out with meals and gave backpacks and school supplies to my children. They also helped me with signing up for classes at Wayne State so I can get a better job,” Locke said.

Outside of helping convicts rehabilitate, the Michigan Catholic Conference also supports the governor’s call to re-examine the state’s minimum-sentencing laws, especially for minors tried as adults, said policy advocate Paul Stankewitz.

Stankewitz cited bills currently before the Legislature that would increase the eligibility age for juvenile court from 17 to 18.

“We are encouraging juvenile justice programs that avert the court system and the booking process,” he said. Stankewitz added the juvenile justice system shouldn’t make light of crimes young people commit, but should treat the situation with care to dissuade youths from becoming habitual offenders.

“If we treat young people like criminals, they are going to take on that persona,” Stankewitz said. “You want to make sure they are corrected so they don’t go back into the system.”

Gov. Snyder argued reviewing the state’s minimum-sentencing laws would help keep nonviolent offenders out of prison while reducing the $2 billion annually the state spends.

While the desire to cut costs is justifiable, Sr. Devaney said privatizing prison services would not lead to true justice and rehabilitation for convicts, especially in light of Michigan’s recent debacle with private prison food vendor Aramark, which in August 2014 was fined $200,000 for serving rotten food to inmates. The state has since severed its ties with the company.

“With private prisons, it’s run like a business,” Sr. Devany said. “There is a ton of money being made with incarceration and privatizing prisons, but privatization is not out to build a better person, it’s out to make money. The purpose of prisons to ensure justice and rehabilitate people, and we have to question whether or not a private company is thinking of that when they are making decisions.”

Stankewitz highlighted some of the services the Church provides to convicts and victims of crimes and what can be done to address the root causes of crime.

“There is no magic bullet; it’s a combination of a lot of things that need to fix the system,” Stankewitz said. “You have to look at proper sentencing, the parole process, looking at dealing with minor offenses outside the criminal system; it’s all inter-connected. We need to make sure people are getting the proper legal representation from the state — the longer a person is in prison, the harder it is for them to get a job afterward.”

Stankewitz emphasized that for most convicts, it’s not a matter of how long they are incarcerated, but what is being done to reform their lives while in prison.

“If you want to get people out earlier, you have to look to see if they have proper job training or mental health issues addressed,” Stankewitz said. “If you’re not, you really aren’t solving the problem. We also need to make sure victims of crime are being taken care of. They are part of the equation as well.”

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Help for ex-convicts

The Jail and Outreach Ministry in the Pontiac Area Vicariate and the St. Vincent de Paul Justice Initiative provide services helping former convicts re-establish themselves in society. For more information, visit www.jail-outreach-ministry.com or www.svdpji.org.