"Since I've been on the program, I got a good job, and everyone is aware of what goes on in my personal life,"

Here's the real simple deal with parolees: if they are able to leave the pen and quickly find a job - and here's the key - in a place far from their original home base and that pays them enough to afford a little place to live, and if they are kept on a fairly tight leash by their parole officers, and if they know a violation will immediately return them to the hoosehow for the remainder of their sentence time, many of them will strive to stay clean, working and out of trouble. The problem is, however, that many parole rules are often counterproductive to the successful reintegration of the person into society. They have no money when they leave the pen other than a few dollars of "gate money," which is only about enough for them to buy a bag of dope, since they don't have enough to do anything else. They are usually paroled back to the area they lived in prior to their sentence, which means they're going right back into the fire and will be exposed to the friends and acquaintances they had prior to their bust (officials believe that relocating them to these places helps them keep in touch with family and social support - I'm here to tell ya that most of the time, that's the last damned thing you want for these guys and girls). Job prospects suck for a parolee, and there's very little help on the outside for them to find a decent job. They are often released without ID, except for a ridiculous "corrections" ID, which is worthless to everyone, including the goddam DMV (and of all forms of ID, you'd think a prison ID would be about the most trustworthy, since the person was fingerprinted and had his/her ID verified before being charged and convicted of a crime!). So, we toss a guy back into his/her old neighborhood broke, with no job and no prospects, we tell them to follow the rules of society and then we shut the doors to everything in society available to assist them in following its rules, and then we're all surprised when the person re-offends. Doh.

Parole program keeps offenders in line

By TAVIA D. GREEN • Gannett Tennessee • May 27, 2008

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — Ryan Whary, 26, says he has been turning his life around, and the Community Corrections program has helped him every step of the way.

When Whary was 21, he began getting into trouble with the law. Eventually, he got a six-year suspended sentence and was put on probation, which didn't take long for him to violate.

"Every time I got out of jail, I was left to my own devices and got to do what I wanted," he said. "With probation, they give you a whole lot of rope and let you hang yourself."

The Community Corrections program is a stricter probation that was created to divert felony offenders from the Tennessee prison system and to provide supervision and services to them.

The goal of Community Corrections is to stop continued criminal behavior while maintaining the safety of the community, according to the official Tennessee Probation and Parole Web site.

After a violation of probation last July, Whary prepared himself for a long prison sentence.

"I was your average screw-up," Whary said. "I got in trouble a lot, and I thought I was going to prison."

He was sentenced to the Community Corrections program for eight years on auto burglary and auto theft charges. Almost a year later, Whary said his outlook on life has changed for the better.

He is working full time as a commercial roofer and said he is up for a promotion. Things in his family life are good, and he is adhering to all of the rules of Community Corrections, including being at home by 8 each night.

"Since I've been on the program, I got a good job, and everyone is aware of what goes on in my personal life," Whary said. "Personally, it's a real good program because I needed a little bit of structure."

Whary was on a 6 p.m. curfew when he was first accepted into the program. He had to enroll in Alcoholics Anonymous classes and other behavior classes and report to his probation officer, Capri Griffey-Elliott, twice a week.

A second chance at life

The Community Corrections program was created in 1985, said Rex Cummings, program manager. There are 19 programs in Tennessee. The Montgomery County office has five officers who serve 159 parolees.

The Tennessee Probation and Parole Web site says factors such as age, crimes, arrest history and rehabilitation potential are considered when selecting an offender for the program.

"I think it works," Cummings said. "We're giving them an opportunity to make changes in their life through strict supervision. We're trying to give them the answers to what they have to do to straighten up their lives. I'm not saying it's easy, but it is giving them another chance."

Offenders in Community Corrections must report to the probation office twice a week when they are first sentenced to the program, Cummings said. As they progress they can report once a week.

During those sessions, Griffey-Elliott said, officers ask offenders about their lives and problems they're facing that might cause them to violate the conditions of their parole.

"I don't look at what they've done," Griffey-Elliott said. "A lot of them I don't even know what their charges are.

"We're here to rehabilitate that person and get them back into society so that they can become a law-abiding citizen."

Community Corrections monitors many aspects of an offender's life. Officers give random drug tests and make sure offenders pay court costs and restitution. Officers also try to help offenders find employment.

Griffey-Elliott said she enjoys helping offenders rehabilitate their lives.

"Yes, they are felons and have committed a crime, but they are a human being," she said. "They are in our society, so we need to treat them as a person and not as to what they've done."

Whary appreciates that.

"I almost don't want to let Capri down," Whary said. "She's paid attention to what's going on in my life and helped me as much as she can.

"I would never have had this opportunity if I hadn't got a second chance."