“YOU HAVE 100 MESSAGES”
Indiana Legislators,
PLEASE READ THIS
For decades, Indiana's metro areas have expanded outward. Jobs have moved farther away from lower-income people who disproportionately remain in our urban cores, and those without access to cars lose out on employment opportunities. According to various studies, more than half of reentrants from incarceration have no access to a vehicle to get to work and back every day.
Therefore, they cannot hold a job. Raising the question: How long until they recidivate when 89% of those rearrested are unemployed?
When you're talking about low-income people, reentrants without a job are essentially no-income people. And, to successfully maintain a job that will support his or her family, a ride to work is necessary for a period long enough for them to save to get their own ride. We’ve seen it, they do it. And it works. A recent 2nd Chance Indiana social post about transporting reentrants was reposted more than 40 times. Tim Thompson, the Transportation Coordinator with LITE,* which supplies van transport for reentrants through 2nd Chance Indiana, was taken aback by the overwhelming number of voice mails. ”You have 100 new messages,” it said. They were all voice mails from reentrants asking for transportation help.
No Surprise: Car ownership is often not possible after release. Many have difficulty qualifying for an auto loan due to a low credit score or for simply having a criminal record. For them, a car represents much more than a simple mode of transportation. It provides independence, employment opportunities, and the potential to achieve financial security. Show me a recent group of recidivists. What percentage do you think have achieved financial security?
Want to cut costs? Researchers G. Roger Jarjoura and Konrad A. Haight reported that even a 1% reduction in the number of Indiana inmates will save state taxpayers more than $1.55 million. But we can do better than 1%, (which is only 240 people over the years we could save $15 million) and that doesn't factor in state taxes that working reentrants will pay to Indiana. But perhaps the most important of all concerns for our society is that children of incarcerated parents are up to six times more likely to be incarcerated themselves.***
The value proposition is clear: This effort benefits entire communities by reducing recidivism, as well as the likelihood of probation or parole violations. It enhances the resilience of people reentering the community and provides the critical financial support necessary for families to raise healthy children.
Just releasing people into the meat grinder of a busy society isn't enough. What they need is a job and the transportation needed to get them to and from work every day so they can keep their jobs and succeed. Without changes in the way we treat reentrants and ready them for renewal in society, we will continue to grow the number of people who will recidivate, and potentially relagate their children to future incarceration.
It is critical for our state leaders to recognize and support reliable transportation for reentrants, because a job and a ride reduce recidivism and engender self-reliance as it creates a sound financial foundation on which to grow, live a better life, and raise healthier families.
Nancy
* The LITE program is a nonprofit in Indiana supporting reentrants in a recovery from mental health and substance use disorders.
** Principal Researchers in the Human Services Division of the American Institutes for Research
*** Televerde Foundation
