The Times Herald (Norristown, PA)
EX-INMATE STRUGGLES TO START OVER
Shawnfatee Bridges spent 20 years on death row.
The Reading man had been convicted at 18 for his involvement in the 1996 slayings of two men and sentenced to death.
But after more than 20 years in state prison he ended up having his conviction overturned on appeal because the prosecution failed to provide the defense with police records that could have been used to impeach a key witness during the trial.
Bridges had tried to make the best of his time behind bars. He took courses he thought would help him find employment should he ever be released. And he eventually earned certifications to be a facilitator, to counsel those dealings with traumatic situations and to work as a support specialist. Certifications that he thought would allow him to help others make better choices than he had.
But since he’s become a free man, all that work seems to be for nothing.
“Starting over has been hard,” he told Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro Wednesday morning. “I’ve been searching for the kind of work that I want to do, that I have certifications in and my record keeps holding me back from doing something good for other people.”
Here to listen
Bridges was one of several former inmates invited to attend a roundtable discussion at Berks Connections/Pretrial Services convened by Shapiro and included numerous local stakeholders in the criminal justice system. The goal of the meeting, Shapiro said, was to find ways to make the transition back to society easier for those trying to make better choices moving forward.
“I came to do a lot of listening,” he told those gathered around the table. “I view the issue of reentry as one of the most critical issues facing our criminal justice system. This is one of the issues that I think needs to have our focus and I know this is an issue that you have all worked on for quite some time.”
Shapriro said it is unacceptable that 66% of the people released from Pennsylvania prisons will find themselves back behind bars. And as the chief law enforcement officer for the commonwealth, he said he refuses to tolerate the chronic rate of recidivism in our system — and has taken action to reduce it.
One of the first actions he took was forming the Pennsylvania Reentry Council in May 2017 to highlight initiatives that could be taken to reduce the high rate of recidivism in the state. Those initiatives include providing former inmates with affordable housing, exposure to educational programs, access to treatment for health care services and applications for drivers licenses, Social Security cards and other essential documents.
“This makes good practical sense from a human capital perspective, from a taxpayer perspective and from a moral perspective,” she said. “And we’ve taken some really concrete steps to tackle this issue. But I realize that we don’t have all the answers and we need to hear from everyone about what we can do better.”
Peggy Kershner, an executive director of BCPS, said the path for those who want to avoid ending up back in prison often isn’t easy or straight.
When an inmate is released, she said, they often reenter the world unprepared. They may not have a place to stay, they may not have a Social Security card and they often struggle to find transportation — a barrier to things like getting a job or making it to appointments with parole officers.
“There are some very clear stumbling blocks,” she said. “Our role here is to be that rock because we know that is a formula that can work.”
Kershner highlighted how the Rebuilding Reentrants and Reading
program offered through her organization has a recidivism rate of less than 10% of those who graduate.
The eight-week program, which has been around since October 2017, gives those with criminal histories comprehensive professional training that includes classroom instruction at the Reading Muhlenberg Career & Technology Center and a chance to learn a trade by teaming up with Habitat for Humanity to renovate homes in Reading.
Building partnerships
Willie Colon, BCPS reentry mentoring specialist, said he discovered the real value of the program is found in the trust and support that participants build with those who take the time to listen. He told Shapiro he thinks it would be helpful if there were more mentoring opportunities available to inmates before they ever leave prison.
“It needs to start in prison,” he said. “There are a lot of people who want to come out and be productive members of the community. And I believe there are quite a few who want to help the next person come out of prison and do the right thing.”
Bridges seconded that suggestion. While he had family members to help steer him in the right direction when it came to securing documents and accessing health care benefits, he said it would have been beneficial if he had known how to start that process before he even left the prison.
“You have to really search things out the way the system is set up now,” he said. “I was proactive and I had support. But I know some people who could fall back into bad habits if they have no where to turn. It can bring you down real quick.”
Shannon Robinson, founder of the Real Street Talk program he created during his time in state prison, told Shapiro that is the reason why he believes that preparations for reentry needs to start the first day someone arrives to prison.