Ujaama. Ujaama. Greetings, my friends. This is Dontie S. Mitchell, better known as Mfalme Sikivu, reporting to you from Great Meadow Correctional Facility in Comstock, New York. And my last three commentaries, I told you about Splash, Little Rico and how the system fails young offenders like them. Here, I want to illustrate this a little further.
Since I have been at this facility, 11 young offenders I was working with were recruited into gangs, some as young as 18 and 19 years old. A couple ended up getting cut by the gang they joined or were used to cut other prisoners. At least three of them were involved in the gang fight here last August that prompted Governor Cuomo’s visit here. I was for sure he would step in to address the gang problem and the corruption of young prisoners. I even wrote him a few letters explaining what can be done.
Alas, the violence and the corruption continues. The gangs proliferate within our prison system because of DOC’s [Department of Corrections] reactionary policies that focus on suppression and punishment, which research shows only strengthens gang cohesiveness. What DOC fails to understand is that prisoners are human beings. Abram [Abraham] Maslow, a famous psychologist, identified a hierarchy of human needs, beginning with food and then shelter. It is the next three which DOC fails to provide young prisoners.
Those three next human needs, in ascending order, are socialization, esteem, and self actualization. Indeed, DOC works to deprive young prisoners of these last three needs, and this leads many of them to join gangs. It also reinforces their anti-social behavior. To me, this all seems so damn obvious, and so too, is the solution. Research shows you can decrease gang cohesiveness by providing positive identity alternatives to that of being a gang member. You don’t need to suppress and punish gang members for being in a gang, which isn’t working anyway. You simply have to offer a more beneficial way for young prisoners to socialize, to gain standing, and to realize their full potential.
I offered UFD [Ujamaa Fraternal Dynasty] as such a positive identity alternative: UFD would implement a mentoring program, enlisting older prisoners as positive role models and as big brothers for younger prisoners. These older UFD members would advise, counsel and instruct younger members, and will help mediate potential problems between younger members and others. Such a mentoring program should be mandatory for all prisoners under 25 years old. It will cost the state nothing, but will yield substantial results. UFD will implement other low cost programs that I’ve designed, which would decrease prison violence and lower recidivism. But as I said before, DOC refuses to recognize and approve UFD.
Tune in next time, as I reveal to you the outright lie, the deliberate misinformation and the two inconsequential reasons DOC relied upon to deny my request to form a prison chapter of UFD, here at this facility. Follow me on Facebook at free Dante Mitchell. Share your comments. Also, I need volunteers to assist me in all that I’m working to do. If you’re interested, please write me. Thank you for listening.
These commentaries are recorded by Noel Hanrahan of Prison Radio.
