U.S. Cities, Check This Out
Dear Ann Landers: In a recent column, you said, “Many prisons are ‘graduate schools’ where neophytes learn the real tricks of the trade. I welcome suggestions on what can be done to cure this insidious and costly problem.”
I have a suggestion that has been proven to work in Fort Wayne, Ind., based on statistics. An organization called “One Church-One Offender,” originated by Rev. Clyde Adams, identifies nonviolent, one-time offenders who have served their sentence and are on parole or under house arrest.
To be accepted into the program, the offender may not have been implicated in a crime that involved a handgun or other lethal weapon. Once identified, the individual is assigned to a five-member group affiliated with a local church. This group serves as a family, provides direction and encouragement, and helps the individual complete his education or locate a job. This enables the individual to become a respectable member of society and develop a sense of pride.
I have witnessed complete turnarounds and heard individuals make testimonials at our annual dinners attesting to the help they received and how it changed their lives. Many speakers become emotional when they relate how close they came to becoming just another statistic. Think of the difference! Five individuals helping you get on track vs. being one in 100 assigned to a probation officer. It’s not hard to see why it works.
The proof is in the statistics. The Allen County Jail in Fort Wayne reports a recidivism rate of 50 percent of the inmates, while the rate for One Church-One Offender is 15 percent. It is estimated that this program saves the community $600,000 annually. Since its inception, 49 church committees have been trained. Currently, 28 churches are involved in the program. People of all races and religions participate as church volunteers and board members. The board of directors is composed of local ministers as well as business men and women.
The organization has the support of local judges, enforcement officers and the mayor. It is working. So here, Ann, is one solution to the question you put to your readers. - J.A.J., Fort Wayne, Ind.
Dear J.A.J.: Thank you for a letter that could change lives, save communities a great deal of money and restore dignity and a feeling of hope to thousands of ex-cons.
If it works in Fort Wayne, it can work in hundreds of other cities in the United States and Canada. I urge all civic-minded men and women to take this column to the next meeting of their Rotary club, Kiwanis, Knights of Columbus, Lions, Masonic order, etc., as well as churches and ask that this program be given serious consideration. It’s a beauty.
Dear Ann Landers: The next time you have occasion to contact Donald R. Nichols, director of public affairs at the U.S. Mint, will you please ask him this question:
Considering the hundreds of hours wasted each day by employees of banks and other financial institutions rearranging currency bills so they all face the same way, why can’t bills be designed like playing cards, so they read the same from top to bottom as from bottom to top? - D.H., Santa Barbara, Calif.
Dear D.H.: According to Larry Felix at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, U.S. bills are designed to protect against counterfeiting. Any changes made are for security reasons only. There’s no reason the bills couldn’t look like playing cards, but it would be impractical and expensive to change the design.