Notes from February 22 CJ&R Committee Meeting

The Criminal Justice & Prison Reform Committee was honored to have Earl Simms speak at our February meeting. Earl is a formerly incarcerated person who has devoted his life to helping other formerly incarcerated men and women find jobs, housing, and providing mentoring. Committee Co-Chair Bobby Jones-Hanley of Pure 1 was the moderator.

Earl told us about getting in trouble as a youth in LA after his parents separated and he was being raised by his Mom. Like so many others, Earl started with small crimes, got involved with a gang, and the crimes got more serious. Earl was involved in a serious crime with his gang, the Cripps, and was sentenced to a lengthy term in prison by the California judicial system. Bobby’s questioning led to Earl describing prison life, his anger as a young man, and then finally realizing that he needed to change if he was going to get out of prison. Earl took advantage of programs that were offered, came to grips with who he is, and developed an understanding of how horrible his crime was and how he needed to grow. These changes led to Earl’s getting out of prison.  

Earl discussed the need to connect with young people in prison, to help them understand their crime and that they are better than the crime and could still enjoy a decent life. In answering Bobby’s questions, Earl explained why formerly incarcerated people can work better with incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people. He has most recently worked for the TimeList Group, an LA-based nonprofit formed by formerly incarcerated people that works with individuals and families impacted by incarceration and poverty. Earl works finding jobs and housing for people returning to their communities. The audience could see how smart, measured, and wise Earl was and how devoted to helping people adjust to life after prison. He was sent to the Bay Area by TimeList and is a Regional Director.

Bobby asked Earl how prisons can be improved, and Earl emphasized that instead of locking people up behind iron bars, we need to work with them to show that they are good people who can learn marketable skills in prison and then provide support, mentoring, and guidance in finding good paying jobs and safe housing. Several people talked about the need for change and how there are people and agencies who benefit by having our prisons overflowing and not making changes. It was agreed that we must change the prison model to more like a Norwegian Model and must pressure the State to make changes. If you too want to end mass incarceration, join our committee and work with us!