We know that not all of you are from Colorado. This issue is so central to our mission, however, that we wanted to keep you informed.
If you are registered to vote in Colorado, you now have your ballot. There is a lot on the ballot, and no one can have all the information on everything, so we trust reliable sources to help us understand. Restoring Connections, from its 25 years experience working with incarcerated individuals, is encouraging a NO vote on Proposition 128. Here is some information for consideration in your decision making,
A Little history
In 1985, Colorado passed a law that doubled the sentence length for all felonies. In 1987 Colorado followed that with a “truth in sentencing” law that is still in effect. This requires people convicted of specific violent crimes to serve 75 % of the sentence before parole eligibility. If they have 2 previous convictions, they must serve 100% of their sentence. In either situation, individuals can be awarded some “earned time” towards parole by good behavior and hard work.
As a result of these laws the Colorado incarcerated population doubled twice between 1985 and 2000. These “tough on crime” measures ushered Colorado into mass incarceration with a present budget of 1.2 billion. The number of people in prison over age 50 has grown 123% since 2002.
What does this Proposition do?
Proposition 128 eliminates the possibility for earned time and penalizes those who have worked hard to make changes and rehabilitate. Research tells us that people are more likely to change with positive reinforcement than with negative consequences. In other words, punishment does not change behavior in positive directions. Proposition 128 would also increase the amount of the sentence that must be served before consideration for parole. This will drive up the number of elderly individuals in prison regardless of whether they have reformed and are no longer a safety risk.
The purpose of sentencing is not only punishment for a wrong done. It is also supposed to be balanced with rehabilitation and reducing recidivism. Proposition 128 undermines these other purposes. Ninety percent of incarcerated individuals will return to the community. Do we want them to be able to re-enter as contributing members?
Beyond the impact on individual lives, Proposition 128 will significantly impact Colorado’s spending priorities. It would require a $152.4 million investment to build additional prisons and an additional $56.2 million annually to keep people incarcerated longer. Here’s a little perspective. On average, Colorado spends $56,766 per year for each person in prison. At the same time, it is investing only $8,496 per year on each K-12 student. Think about the impact of these priorities!
From our direct experience working with many individuals over an extended period in our Soul Care mentoring, we see the hard work they have done, we witness the transformation in them and the foolishness of just continuing to incarcerate for punishment reasons. They could be back with their families and making a positive contribution to society. When you vote, we ask you to vote NO on Proposition 128.