Movin' Around

Lunenburg began the moves this week to have a college building set up by January. Governor McDonnell has made a big push for inmate re-entry programs. I like to think that the Governor is beginning to understand that $1 billion a year to punish people is immoral. I like to think the Governor – a self described “Christian” – will put his faith in action and lead Virginia into an age of rehabilitation and restorative justice.



I like to think things will change and parole or some form of early release will be reinstated and I’ll get out sooner than expected. The best bet for change is the economy. For the next couple of years forecasters are predicting the economy to sputter along with high deficits and unemployment. States will continue to reduce spending. More than anything else, the poor economy sounds the chimes of freedom for thousands of incarcerated people like me.


DOC is changing, perhaps not on its own accord. But, it is changing. They’ve lost too many lawsuits this year, they spend too much money. They show too little success. DC is being drug into the reality that is 21st century America in economic upheaval.


Governor McDonnell is pushing inmate re-entry. Lunenburg will play a major role in establishing a re-entry model. Inmates already here with more than a few years remaining on their sentence will be shipped elsewhere unless they are actively involved in a program. Other inmates in the system will be moved here to begin programs. Thousands will be shuffled from prison to prison.


I experienced that with my own move from 3A to 4A this week. I agreed to be part of the “college dorm” experiment. I knew I’d be moving, along with Big S and E, in the “first wave” of ten guys. Still, I was apprehensive.


Lunenburg has two distinct sides: West side and East side. Buildings 1, 2, 3 and 7 are West side. The other three – 4, 5 and 6 are East side. The East side is known as a dumping ground, a pit. Most of the fights, thefts, and drugs generate on the East side. A majority of the East side guys are either in GED classes or on the waiting list. Many guys on the East side don’t work.


3A, by contrast, was the upscale dorm. Of the 96 men in the building, 94 had TVs. Every man was employed. We had ten vocational or academic aides, three head cooks (out of seven on the entire compound), and fourteen furniture factory workers. Guys bought what they wanted, when they wanted it.


The administration decided to place the college dorm on the East side, a “gentrification” project in the heart of the projects as E said (that college sociology class did come in handy!). Wednesday, immediately after 11:30 am count, they called me (and Big S and E) to pack up. By 1:00 we were pushing our carts down the boulevard to 4A.


4A was considered the best dorm on the East side. That’s like winning a beauty pageant because all the other contestants are a lot uglier than you. We walked in and realized we weren’t on the West side anymore. First, no one had bothered to tell “the locals” they needed to pack up and move. We stood around (with seven other guys from 2 building) while guys bitched and moaned and demanded to see the “Sarge”. “I ain’t leavin’ this mo fo!” was a common refrain.


All the 4A ten did eventually pack up. For all the bravado these guys throw out, the fact is, this is a low custody facility. You buck or pull a charge and they can move you to a higher level prison – a “real” prison with stabbings and rapes.


We moved in, unpacked and checked out our new surroundings. The first thing we noticed was the number of TVs. Prior to the new ten coming over, there were 26 TVs. The reason: guys don’t work in 4A. There were only ten or fifteen guys employed outside the building and another ten working house jobs inside. The guys in 4A, we soon discovered, were lazy, uneducated and poor.


E and I were given a good cut. We have the same bunk numbers from our 3A days, but now we are on the wall and we have a window. Our cut mate is a goofy college kid name “Opie” who reminds me of a yellow lab. He’s an easy going kid without any sense.


Big S, on the other hand is ten bunk slots away surrounded by guys who know their days in 4A are short. He’s miserable, but we know each week the chemistry in the building will change. Next week twenty more guys will move. By January 10th the switch should be complete.


Things could have been worse. Given my legal background, most guys here know me so I was greeted warmly in 4A. Still, change is always worrisome, especially in prison. Guys like routine. You never know how people will react to change. And, in here during the holidays the stress level is even higher.


The stakes are significant for this college program. Studies suggest that inmates who earn college degrees while locked up have a substantially lower risk of committing another crime. It makes sense. Educate a person; assist them with job placement, and remove the stigma of incarceration and the chances are that person will never return to prison.


The annual cost for an inmate to get a college education? About $5000 a year. The cost to house an inmate? About $25,000. The math is simple. The program makes sense. Eventually, so will all the moves. Virginia is slowly moving in the right direction. Like the 4A transition, it will take some time. But, education and restoration to society work better than incarceration. Perhaps in 2011, Virginia will finally complete all the moves necessary for prison reform.