There is a problem within the MDOC, one that may not seem so big to most people and some may think it’s acceptable for what is happening. However, I stress that it is a major problem. Over the years lots of people have been paroled for completion of core programming. If you look at what those classes are, you will see that they are Substance abuse, VPP (violence prevention), MIVPP, etc. The only problem that I see from that and that society would see from that is that if you really look at things most of them are probably repeat offenders. By which the recidivism rate is higher.
The issue is that those who have the LOWEST recidivism rate are the ones that are being the most affected by this pandemic. I speak of those who have to take MSOP, Michigan Sex Offender Program. Every year more people get flopped for this core program. Yes, the group is an important part of rehabilitation for those of us who need. The problem of it is that we tend to get the most flops, meaning doing an extra 12 months, for not having this program done. I say it is an issue because the average time you will do in the program is at least 1yr, at least how they do it at Central Michigan Correctional Facility. There’s other facilities that offer this program and most people don’t do that long.
There is a criteria for which you get rated on for either a low, moderate, or high. Low meaning you don’t need group because you don’t meet the criteria, moderate being you need group but either 6-9 months or 9-12 months, and high meaning 12-18 months. There are questions that a social worker, not a psychiatrist, asks you to see how your mental state is and how you view things. From there you are placed in one of the 3 categories. So why is it that at certain facilities, mainly CMCF, people get rated on the high end when they understand clearly what they did wrong and know what not to do, which is what the class basically teaches you.
I do not believe that everyone should get a by on this group because some people can benefit from it. However, it should not take forever to get into the group. The current waiting list for people to get into group, with the pandemic, is roughly 2 yrs. We are humans too and most of us have families who are waiting for us to come home. Some people’s families thought that once you served your time you would get to go home. My family thought that was the case, but I had to pop that bubble and tell them that I won’t be able to come home until I completed the program. Why should my family suffer because the MDOC refuses to find a solution to this problem? Instead they focus on getting the people who have a higher recidivism rate out and back on the streets to do more harm.
Now due to COVID the wait to get into MSOP is even longer. So why is it that this program is made to be more of a major punishment than any other group? Do you know how much of the taxpayer’s money goes towards these programs, yet no one knows what it is going towards. The taxpayer’s money is going towards keeping people locked up for programs that while on parole we will have to take. Yes, that is correct, why are we being punished further when we could be getting paroled and having to take it anyways where we will have to pay for it.
The parole board should be getting questioned about this problem. Heidi Washington, head of the MDOC, should be questioned regarding this and the head of the MSOP program Kissinger (first name unknown to me). Granted they will most likely tell you there isn’t a problem with it, however coming from an inmate who has to live through this and dealing with it, they will lie to the public’s face about the program telling you they are doing everything they can. Its hogwash.
As a matter of fact, they should be questioned as to why so many people drop out of the program due to the many different stipulations that get added at random. Yes, over the past few years the psychs and social workers (whom aren’t entirely qualified to run the program nor be in charge of mental health) at CMCF change the criteria on the regular. One week they will tell you to do the homework one way then the next be told to do it differently and anyone who has done it the previous way has to redo theirs to match the new stipulation. We are not victims of our own situations we are victims to the injustice that we have no control over. These mental health therapists have total control over our lives and frequently toy with our lives to keep us incarcerated longer.
At Central Michigan Correctional Facility they do what they want in the MSOP program. They don’t follow any sort of structure, its whatever the hell the “psychs” feel like doing. And on that note, they should be questioned why so many other psychs have quit their jobs here because of psych Roush and the way she treats them. In the last year at least 2 psychs have quit because they cannot work with her and the way she treats them. No other facility has this problem, so what’s different between here and other places? Why is there not a set structure that is permanent like other classes for the MSOP program?
These questions should be asked to Heidi Washington. She should have answers for them. If only a few people call they will blow it off, however if hundreds. of people call and question them how can they refute it? If local news gets involved, how can they ignore it. Why continue to further punish those who are trying to better themselves? Why punish those who have the lowest chance of reoffending?
Ask these questions to yourself. Just because we have done wrong doesn’t mean that we are all monsters and deserve to rot in prison. We are people. with families as well. We were all once apart of society and worked hard to give back. I know I held a job and paid my dues, I just made one bad decision that cost me to go to prison. It doesn’t make me a bad person.
So I leave you with this last question. Do we deserve to be punished and victims of the MDOC for something they don’t even try to regulate?