Let's Help Newly Released Prisoners Succeed

This is one of numerous programs designed to help support prisoners in their reentry.

According the Bureau of Justice statistics, at least 95% of all state prisoners will eventually be released from prison, ready or not. 

Due to Virginia's Earned Sentence Credit (ESC) bill that went into effect this month, the Commonwealth will see up to 2000 prisoners released early over the next two years, with 870 already having been granted their freedom on July 1.

Some people, including Virginia's Attorney General, fear this will make our communities less safe, given the fact that according to the Department of Justice 82% of those currently being released from prisons are rearrested at least once within 10 years, and 43% within their first year of release. 

Among the reasons for this recidivism rate are daunting challenges facing returning citizens. These include the stress of adjusting to everyday life after prolonged stays in a highly unnatural prison environment, barriers in finding employment and affordable housing, and an array of probation requirements that often set people up for being charged with technical violations for which they can be re-incarcerated.

There is reason to believe, however, that those released through the ESC bill will prove to be an exception to these statistics, partly because violent offenders and sex offenders are ineligible to participate in the program and also because those released will have completed certain required reentry programs, have proven to be dependable workers at their prison jobs, and have been infraction free for an extended period of time. In other words, they will all have demonstrated hard work and responsibility in meeting requirements in support of their rehabilitation.

The other important factor affecting their success will be the support of caring and engaged communities like ours.

In the state of Washington congregations have offered mentoring and support to returning prisoners through a One Prisoner, One Parish program founded on the fact that there are roughly the same number of congregations in the state as there are individuals in state prisons. So the idea is to have communities of faith adopt someone with whom they correspond and visit while in prison, then offer love, friendship and practical help as needed when they return to their communities. 

According to the Harvard University Criminal Justice Policy Group, seven factors are critical in contributing to successful outcomes, adequate healthcare, gainful employment, affordable housing, necessary skill development, one on one mentoring, and supportive social networks. Caring congregations can be a vital part of helping individuals access all of these.

Caring congregations and other people and civic organizations in a resource-rich community like ours can be a vital part of helping individuals gain and maintain access to all of these means of support.

It takes a whole village to rehabilitate and restore those who have spent long years behind bars.

The First Church of the Nazarene, the Mt. Clinton Mennonite Church and Grace Mennonite Fellowship have been among the numerous local congregations involved in ministries to ex-offenders, and more are expressing interest.

Together we can make our community ever more welcoming and safe community.

We Can't Take Our Water Supply For Granted

Harrisonburg's Water Treatment Plant on Grandview Drive
(photo by Daniel Lin, Daily News-Record)

While much of the earth's surface is covered with water, 97.5% of it is saline, and just 1 percent of that 2.5% of fresh water is readily accessible to meet the needs of the earth's 8.2 billion people, according to a 2023 article in the National Geographic magazine. 

Citing a United Nations report, the article states that "water use has grown at more than twice the rate of population increase in the last century. By 2025, an estimated 1.8 billion people will live in areas plagued by water scarcity, with two-thirds of the world's population living in water-stressed regions as a result of use, growth, and climate change."

Neighboring Mexico City, with a population of 23 million, is already facing the prospect of having its reservoirs depleted this summer, and having to rely on a shrinking and finite amount of available underground reserves. Multiple other major cities, many in the global south, are facing similar grim prospects. 

The area served by the Harrisonburg Department of Public Utilities has for many years been blessed with a good supply of water from the Switzer Reservoir, the Dry River and the North River. Now there are plans to extract water from the Shenandoah River to the east as well, due to growing water use that has reached a total of 7 to 8 million gallons a day. That amount will increase significantly when JMU and EMU students return this fall.

Meanwhile, our area is projected to experience ongoing drought conditions throughout the summer, and we are already being encouraged to conserve water in light of increased demand and reduced supply.

As someone who grew up on a dairy and poultry farm, I'm especially aware of the effects of drought on crops and of the significant and constant need for tons of water for agriculture production. The prospect of lower water levels and shrinking streams and creeks in Rockingham and surrounding counties is a source of constant concern for farmers who rely on weather patterns that are increasingly less predictable on anever warmer planet.

Here are some suggested ways of conserving water from the Ecolife Conservation website:

1. Wash your fruits and vegetables in a pot of water.

2. Designate one glass or water bottle to drink water out of so you don’t have to continue washing new cups throughout the day

3. Compost vegetables and fruits instead of using the garbage disposal. It will power up your plants and save water.

4. If you accidentally drop ice, don’t throw it in the sink – put it in a house plant. If there’s any ice left over from a drink do the same thing.

5. Try to use fewer pots and pans when cooking, you’ll have less to wash.

6. Leave a tub in the shower to get the excess water while it warms up. You can use this water for your plants!

7. Take a shower right after someone gets out so you don’t have to wait for it to warm up.

8. Shorten your shower by a minute or two and you’ll save 100+ gallons a month!

9. While washing your hands or brushing your teeth, turn off the sink when you’re not using the water.

10. Plug the sink while shaving to save water when rinsing your razor

11. Use a tub of water to shave instead of letting the shower run

12. When washing clothes make sure you’re washing a large load instead of half a load

13. Only wash your clothes after a few uses

14. Harvest rainwater to save water and have it for later use. 

15. Use a broom instead of a hose to clean patios, sidewalks, and driveways

16. When giving your pets a fresh bowl of water, use the leftovers to water plants and trees around the house or yard.

17. Only order water at a restaurant if you’re going to drink it.

Here are some random tips from other sites:

18. Flush urine waste from commodes intermittently rather than after each use.

19. Water garden plants and flowers at their base rather than using a sprinkler to cover an entire area.

20. Irrigate in the evening or early morning (and not when windy) in order to reduce evaporation.

21. Keep a supply of drinking water in the refrigerator instead of letting water run until it is cool.

22. Make sure to repair leaking faucets.

23. Mulch your garden with newspaper, leaves, and/or grass clippings to help preserve moisture.

24. Don't pour water down the drain that could be used for watering plants, etc.

25. Reduce purchases of food and clothing that require excessive amounts of water to produce. According to the National Geographic article cited above, "The average hamburger takes 2,400 liters, or 630 gallons, of water to produce, and many water-intensive crops, such as cotton, are grown in arid regions."

Guest Post: A Survivor Of Childhood Sexual Abuse Speaks Out

According to Dr Lawrence Steinberg, 18-year-
olds display similar characteristics of immaturity
and impulsivity as juveniles.

I share the following as one of many heartbreaking stories of individuals I have grown to appreciate and trust over years of correspondence. Had Ric committed his crime prior to his 18th birthday, he would have been tried as a juvenile, based on widely accepted research that shows that the part of the brain that has to do with impulse control, especially in males, doesn't fully develop until in the early to mid-twenties. 

Ric was 18. 

My name is Richard Webb. My friends and loved ones refer to me as Ric. I am serving a life sentence without parole in Virginia.

I am a survivor of childhood sex abuse and of being bullied when I was a child. I know that I am not alone and that most never take things to the extreme that I did. I understand, and for anyone hearing my story for the first time, I own my crimes, acknowledge the terrible harm I caused, and I am truly sorry for what I did.

For years I didn't know how to talk about what I went through nor did I know how to handle hearing that the reason I went through some of what I did was because my aunt and my mom were also both victimized as children by the people I shot, their parents (my grand parents).

These were among the very people who didn't try to help me when the one and only time as a five year old I tried to let them know I was being molested, nothing was done but to tell me to be quiet. Over the next several years I would deal with other sexual traumas from outside of the family, and all of these went unreported and were left unchecked. They finally boiled over after over 12 years of pain and depression.

I committed my crimes when I was 18 years old, still young and immature in so many ways. Emotionally I was still a little boy, and had no clue as to the longterm ramifications of my actions.

I hit rock bottom in prison. But without any hope for freedom I set out to help people who have been, or still are, dealing with trauma. I became a mentor to my peers, creating and teaching my own version of a conflict resolution class as well as a communication class. I've completed just about all classes offered to prisoners over the years.

I've remained institutional infraction free for the better part of the past 23 straight years. I've been in honor pods at multiple institutions, I've had the sensitive area jobs in prison that are normally reserved
for those of us who are not trouble makers.

There is so much more. but I'm trying to keep this as short as possible.

Should you be willing to help me and many others like me in our fight for freedom, it would be deeply appreciated.

Thank you for you for taking time to read this.

Respectfully submitted,

Richard "Ric" Webb 1174188

Buckingham Correctional Center

P.O. Box 430

Dillwyn, VA23936