Re-printed by permission of the author – Stan Moody
NOTE: This video may not be suitable for all audiences!
“Governor Baldacci, Tear Down That Wall!”
Dear Gov. Baldacci;
I understand how sometimes in the interest of settling the little problems, the big ones can get away from us. I understand how, while addressing the great costs of Education and Human Resources, you could easily overlook the 3rd largest expense in Maine government, the cost of housing inmates – the failures of Education and Human Resources. I can understand how loyalty to your appointees would encourage you to defer to the leadership of those who, over a number of decades, have built a wall of Secrecy around Maine State Prison at a time when the hallmark of your administration has been transparency in government.
You have hired a new warden, and that’s good, we hope. You have formed several blue-ribbon commissions, and we hope that works for the next Administration. What worries me, Governor, is that we may be pouring new wine into old wineskins. As the wine ages, the wineskins begin to crack and leak. With great respect, let me refresh your memory of recent events: The cost of corrections in the State of Maine – county and state – exceeds $300M per year, or around $300 for every man, woman and child in Maine. This average cost of $1,000 per family is growing at the rate of around 5-9% a year, threatening to approach $2,000 per family within 8 years, exceeding the property taxes of many.
People are dying in that prison, if not from rampant diabetes brought on by poor diet and lack of exercise, then by assault and neglect. Inmate Sheldon Weinstein was assaulted on April 20, 2009 and died of medical and security neglect in segregation on April 24. Over Thanksgiving holiday, inmate Victor Valdez died in the prison infirmary after what is purported to have been a questionable stretch within SMU.
Every time there is a crisis, the ax falls on the guards, while Deputy Wardens responsible for security and social services are virtually never held accountable. Why? You and I, Governor, go back a ways. I have been public and vocal in my respect for you and in encouraging you in your very difficult task of moving the State back to fiscal responsibility when the clamor is for progress and innovation. It seems inconsistent to me that you are presiding over a 19th Century prison culture contained within a 21st Century prison box.
Transparency, I would remind you, is the proper path to change. Instead, fear of information leaking out and fear of information leaking in paralyzes those responsible for protecting both inmates and the public and keeps the public from a proper accounting of how you are spending their tax money. Every day that goes by, Sir, is a day bringing us closer to judgment as to how we treat the least of those among us, prisoners being no exception. I should like for you to be remembered for your tough, difficult decisions in the face of declining revenues and narrowing opportunities. Capitalizing on your consistent interest in putting Maine ahead of the nation, I would remind you that the path to success is to bring hope to all of our citizens, even those who have lived a life of failure.
There is an enormous amount of data available to support the contention that a community-based re-entry program with the full cooperation of Corrections not only will create jobs but will reduce crime. As a citizen and former lawmaker, I urge you, and you alone, to consider the following immediate actions:
-Prepare the Corrections system in Maine for transparency and public accountability.
-Offer independence to your committees and commissions established to move the State toward prison reform by reducing tinkering by the Department of Corrections.6
-Immediately move toward reducing the State’s 56% recidivism and probation violation rate to 10% or less with a community-based re-entry program.
-Encourage those within the system who are witnessing daily human rights violations to come forward with information to a body independent of the Corrections system in Maine.
-Initiate an entrepreneurial program within the prison that draws out creativity and innovation on the part of our failed citizens housed there.
I would direct your attention to the PEP program at the prison in Cleveland, TX, as an example of how to move recidivism to under 10% by tapping into the creative minds of those who otherwise are consigned to using their minds to create problems. Get this Weinstein murder/neglect out in the open, moving the Attorney General’s Office toward an indictment and instituting a legitimate investigation within the prison apart from management investigating itself.
Governor, I thank you for your attention to this matter. Your friend and supporter,
Stan Moody
About Stan Moody
After a long career in business management and development, Dr. Moody pursued an education in Christian theology…He has served in the Maine State House of Representatives both as a Republican and a Democrat, pastors a small country church in Central Maine and served as a Chaplain at the maximum security Maine State Prison…He has authored several provocative books on the state of the evangelical church in America, including No Turning Back: Journal of an All-American Sinner, Crisis in Evangelical Scholarship: A New Look at the Second Coming of Christ and McChurched: 300 Million Served and Still Hungry…Moody sits on the Board of Advisors of Jews-On-First and The Institute for the Study of Christian Zionism, and is a frequent speaker at Christian conferences and conventions…
Contact Information
Blog: www.scribd.com/stanmoody
Contact Info: www.StanMoody.com
Email: stanmoody1@aol.com
