Update: July 22, 2008
Governor Blagojevich seems to be mum on budget cuts in Illinois. Will he cut the budget of his "National Model", the Sheridan project at Sheridan Correctional Center? WestCare Foundation, Inc. has the contract to provide counseling services to inmates at Sheridan Correctional Center. WestCare's contract total in Illinois for fiscal year 2008 is $3,900,000.00.
Update: July 17, 2008
An essay on "Institutional Racism and Indifferent Treatment in the Criminal Justice System and the Illinois Department of Corrections" coming soon.
July 8, 2008
Federal Bureau of Prisons
VaNessa P. Adams, Senior Deputy Assistant Director
Central Office – Program Review Division
320 First Street NW
Washington, DC 20534
CERTIFIED MAIL DELIVERY
Re: The Second Chance Act of 2007 – Illinois’ Sheridan Correctional Center
Ms. Adams:
I, Fred L Nance Jr., am writing this letter suggesting the Federal Bureau of Prisons consider rescind or reduce any funding and/or deny any future funding to Governor Blagojevich’s Sheridan Project in Illinois. I base this suggestion upon the content of this letter, the letter written to Governor Blagojevich on May 12, 2008 (attached), the letter written to President George W. Bush on May 16, 2008 (attached) and all statements written by me on my blogs, and public news and community websites. The letters attached demonstrate a program lacking integrity, honesty, restorative justice and a true reduction in recidivism. The Sheridan Project does not and will not reduce recidivism. The Sheridan Project data provided to support a reduction in recidivism is manipulated.
The Second Chance Act of 2007 (“The Act”) has a total annual authorization of $165 Million Dollars. A brief purpose of “The Act”, as it relates to Sheridan Correctional Center (Sheridan), is to break the cycle of criminal recidivism and to provide offenders in prisons…with educational, literacy, vocational and job placement services to facilitate re-entry into the community. Sheridan does not provide “meaningful and adequate” services to meet the criteria of “The Act”. The lack of services mentioned here provided to the inmates of Sheridan mirror my experiences illustrated in the letter I presented to Governor Blagojevich dated May 12, 2008, which has been ignored by his administration.
WestCare Foundation, Inc., the company contracted at Sheridan to provide counseling services to the inmates, hired a black male Director Harold Parker. Mr. Parker attempted innovative changes to Sheridan to provide optimal and comprehensive services to the inmates, promoting restorative justice, a reduction in recidivism, and staff adjustment and assimilation to the cultural differences and similarities of inmates and peers. Sheridan Correctional Center and WestCare Foundation, Inc. management forced Mr. Parker to relinquish his employment at Sheridan.
On April 9, 2008 President Bush signed into law the Second Chance Act of 2007. On July 9, 2008 provisions related to the Bureau of Prisons will take effect. On October 9, 2008 “The Act” will take effect. The U.S. Department of Justice will have jurisdiction over all the programs except Section 212. The U.S. Department of Labor will have jurisdiction over Section 212.
The taxpayers, who are paying the $165 Million Dollar bill for “The Act”, are hoping the Second Chance Act of 2007 will reduce recidivism. The taxpayers would hope the people implementing the funds and those entities providing the services are not practicing racial disparities and indifferent treatment. Criminal thinking and behaving happens in and outside of jail. Criminals cannot watch criminals.
Therefore, I hope this brief letter does not fall on deaf ears. I believe there is integrity, honesty and sincerity in the Federal Bureau of Prisons. I believe the U.S. Department of Justice wants to reduce recidivism. I believe in reducing recidivism. I am a product of the Second Chance Act of 2007.
I have been treated by the Illinois Department of Corrections and WestCare Foundation, Inc. as if “The Act” does not exist. If I am treated as illustrated in the letters attached, with what I have accomplished in the last 16 years, the past- present- and future inmate population at Sheridan will produce just what they see in the ones who are guarding and counseling them, which is criminal thinking and behaving.
The Sheridan Project is not reducing recidivism. A lot of people talk to me that provide services to previous Sheridan residents. A parole officer attempted to share with a group of social service professionals at a meeting I attended that Sheridan was manipulating the data to suggest a reduction in recidivism. The parole officer tried present his evidence based allegation. He met strong opposition to his statements from a TASC provider at Sheridan who attended the meeting. I question people who refuse to examine empirical data.
When I was working at Sheridan, no employee in the institution matched my academic achievements and empirical experiences. I was ignored, dishonored and disgraced for attempting to provide comprehensive and optimal service toward restorative justice and reducing recidivism. The Second Chance Act of 2007 suggests a theory of comprehensive and optimal services toward restorative justice and reducing recidivism.
Respectfully submitted,
Fred L Nance Jr., ABD, MA, CADC, NCRS
cc:
http://clickforjusticeandequality.blogspot.com/
http://click.townhall.com/
www.frednance.newsvine.com/
