As an appointee to Gov. Ron DeSantis, I implore him, appeal to his deep Catholic roots, to address the plight of returning citizens to our Floridian society.
Recidivism, or the rate at which released prisoners return to prison after having served their term, is a whopping, reprehensible 83%. Said differently, more than 4 out of 5 times someone is released from prison, they return within seven years.
This won’t do. Now, to be radiantly clear: Some folks should definitely be in prison and stay there. My business partner, Dave Clark, spent 6½ years in max prison; he witnessed unimaginable horrors by individuals unfit for society.
He also ministered and taught countless people, young and old, whom he considered highly redeemable and who have gone on to live incredibly meaningful lives. There is a movement afoot to more efficiently stem the flow of criminals into our jails and prisons.
Celebrities are getting involved. Basketball Hall of Famer Julius Erving — popularly known as Dr. J — and I talked about how America must improve to radically reduce recidivism rates. Technologies like virtual reality can be game changers for souls: Learning by virtual reality increases retention substantially, and the learner can learn at his or her own pace. The Doc was actually wearing a shirt with tiny memes of formerly incarcerated people who went on to live meaningful lives.
Look, we all have done stupid things before. There, but for the grace of God, go I. After visiting with countless Floridian returning citizens, we can do better for our peeps. For goodness’ sake, Germany’s recidivism rate is an enviable 5%.
Orlando’s Carlyle Holder, America’s first Black prison warden, is passionate on the subject. He won’t be resting till our rate of 83% is cut in half, and cut in half twice more.
Governor, please join our efforts. As the great Frederick Douglass — who should replace Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill instead of Harriet Tubman — once said, “education sets a man free.”
Amen.
Dr. John L. Evans is President of PromisingPeople.com and lives in Winter Park
