Things have been going on for years, you know, as far
as probation, parole and monitoring, that is basically stereotyping, and is
making us as individuals feel like we’re locked in boxes.... That’s one source
of punishment. And we’re being released, and we’re also being monitored....we have kids, we have jobs, we have...
life situations, you know. We are individual people.
—Rayshard
Brooks
In February 2020, Reconnect, a
public benefit corporation that creates technology to fight recidivism,
incarceration, and addiction, put out a call for formerly incarcerated people
in Washington, D.C., and Atlanta, GA, to talk about the impact of the criminal
justice system on their lives. Their testimony was to inform the
development of technology to assist specialty courts and improve probation and
parole outcomes.
Respondents Reconnect
interviewed spoke of significant barriers, such as court fines, restitution,
and probation payments, which can run into the thousands of dollars. They also
mentioned difficulty in finding employment to pay those fees, the challenge of
securing housing, and lack of family support. Another barrier facing these
individuals as they return to society is medical insurance and care — from a
nationwide lack of mental health support for expected anxiety and depression,
to pre-existing mental health diagnoses, and undiagnosed challenges.
One study found that half of all
re-entering citizens cannot pay their fines at all, while more than 60% of
families whose members are incarcerated cannot meet basic costs of housing and
food (Menendez et al., 2019).
Rayshard Brooks volunteered to be
interviewed. He was paid $200.00 and spoke for 41 minutes. Like the
other 143 respondents, he was asked questions about how the justice system’s
probation apparatus helped or hampered his re-entry, and what barriers could be
changed.
Several themes emerged in his
interview, including the barriers for re-entering citizens to re-build their
lives. The prison time put the family into debt, economic and relational. “Once
you get in there, you know, you're just in debt… just in debt,” he said. “You
owe and you know, it's... just... no kind of way that you can… try to deal with
all of these things.... It's just impossible. You have court costs...
probation... you would have to have a lot of money, you know. And some people, they're
not financially set to the point where they can just get out and handle
everything at one... time. They're not financially set that way.
“So, [you] have to go out and try
the best way you can to meet these standards and, you know, try and abide by
these rules, everything that everybody is setting.... You have to try and abide
by the rules and, these costs... it's a lot, you know, money-wise. But us as
men, you know, some people... suck it up and look at the bigger picture of, you
know: hey... this is me paying my debt to society.”
Like many others, Rayshard Brooks
painted a picture of extreme vulnerability and an indebted life that
impoverishes an entire family and makes them grieve for lost wholeness. Many
times, African-Americans, as well as poor and undereducated Americans, accept
plea deals they disagree with, but have no resources to challenge. Time inside
is lost time and lost money. Re-entry begins in debt. This economic and
emotional precariousness keeps ex-prisoners in harm’s way with law enforcement.
One mistake can lead to renewed incarceration and even death at the hands of
the structure of policing and control.
As a mental health professional who
has worked in social services for over 20 years, I look for areas in a person’s
life where I can facilitate positive and systemic change. Rayshard’s body
language and statements indicated his nervousness, but also a commitment to
connecting to the interviewer and considering each question. I watched his eyes
and heard his words. If Rayshard had appeared in my former workplace at San
Francisco’s Young Adult Court at his sentencing in 2016 at 23 years old, I would have had our team sit down with him. We
would have put into place medical, emotional, and vocational supports to move
his life back on track to productive work and relationships. He was someone I
could see myself working with and mentoring, someone I could befriend. In the
interview, I observed someone who cared about his impact in the world and most
importantly on his children, wife, and family. And I heard the despair of
knowing that his own resources were inadequate. “Suck it up.”
Brain science tells us that the
pre-frontal cortex isn’t fully developed until age 25 or 26. Rayshard Brooks
was murdered at 27. Although in debt, and feeling “hardened,” he was trying to
learn how to step into a more responsible adulthood.
...in the system, you know, it just just makes you hardened
to a point....Sometimes people ask me, 'Hey, man, you know, why are you so--?'
You know, I'm saying... it has caused me to be that way....And it messes with
your mental state at times. You know, by just going through this process of...
consequences that the system take [sic] you through.
Still, when I watched Rayshard’s
interview, I could see myself in him. I could see any number of young black men
who just needed some help getting back on track. I could see his humanity.
Atiim B. Chenzira Boykin,
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