John Legend and the Koch Brothers. What an odd pairing. As the mother of an inmate incarcerated in the state of Georgia, I couldn’t be happier they have stepped into what is now the new “it girl” in the political arena: criminal justice reform.
I often speak about my ignorance to the epidemic called mass incarceration. It is the No. 1 public health crisis in our country. By having real open and honest conversations, we can change the course of this. With the money and fame behind the new players, it will happen.
I was forced into this world on Nov. 27, 2011, when my son was arrested and charged with armed robbery. When I began this journey, I was nothing more than a desperate mother, seeking answers, trying to help my son. I have since become a voice for the families of the incarcerated and their loved ones.
This is an area that very few of us really understand. Even our politicians and community leaders are ignorant to the truth behind mass incarceration. Our punitive laws that created mandatory minimum sentences have destroyed a generation. Without reform, we will be forced to open more prisons, add assisted-living space to prisons, and burden our courts with recidivism. Not to mention the effects of a returning citizen who has no rehabilitation, training or education.
Gov. Nathan Deal has a heart for criminal justice reform, and he has slowly and deliberately built a team of leaders that is addressing issues that result from mass incarceration. Under House Bill 349, passed in the 2013 legislative session, Deal appointed 15 members to head the Georgia Council on Criminal Justice Reform. Co-chairs Judge Michael Boggs and Thomas Worthy have made significant recommendations and have since passed laws that will move us into the 21st century.
The appointment of Commissioner Homer Bryson to head up the Georgia Department of Corrections is nothing short of a miracle. The launching of the Governor’s Office of Transition, Support and Reentry is also an opportunity to help heal our men and women who leave the system and bring them into their communities as whole, healthy and productive citizens.
I have met with many naysayers who say things that I once said: “Let them rot; criminals deserve to be put away.”
What I have learned is that we are all in this together, and the way we treat our inmates is a direct correlation to the way our communities will be shaped. I vote for bringing them home healthy and whole.
When incarcerated people come home, my personal mission is to be able to say to them, "Welcome home; we've missed you, and we are here to help." Until that day, I will be their voice. To all those stepping into the arena of justice reform, please reach out to me at kateboccia@gmail.com.
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