A new year with, I guess, a resolution after all

So a year ago I was training for a several month bicycle ride from Albuquerque to Baltimore to bring awareness of the need for and importance of reentry programs for those released from prisons and jails. I raised over $4,000 that I distributed to four nonprofits that offer excellent programming for ex-offenders.

I ended up using Uber and a rental car to scoot out of Texas (flooding), to avoid lack of a motel/hotel room in Gainesville (graduation weekend - who knew?), to skirt hundreds of miles of swampy or remote land and roads (northern Florida and southern Georgia) and unpopulated areas (Virginia) - and to recover from a back injury (South Carolina). Overall, I cycled around 1400 miles and got media coverage from about a dozen sources. Anyone interested can check out details here. http://lindsaywaitewordpresscom.wordpress.com

Why is this important? 95% of people are released from prisons and jails. Recidivism is reduced from around 75% to less than 20% when folks are fortunate enough to land in a program, especially if it offers housing with social supports, job opportunities and health care (mental and physical, including dealing with addiction issues).

It costs between $25,000 to $75,000 to incarcerate someone (over $200,000 for juveniles in some states, like New Mexico). Program costs are $10-$20,000 per person.

Crime is reduced, families are reunited, and taxpayers save money when we offer good programs.

As I reflect on 2016 and plan for 2017, I don’t make resolutions. I have pretty healthy lifestyle habits. I’m fairly entrenched in working as a volunteer for social justice programs. And I am really focused on trying to improve the lives of those around me, locally, as well as discussing issues that deserve a national agenda (like this issue). People as varied as Newt Gingrich, Barack Obama, the Koch Brothers, and Piper Kerman (yes, from that TV show) - along with organizations like the Innocence Project and The Equal Justice Initiative - are working toward reducing mass incarceration and recidivism. I’m hopeful more will support these goals.

2017 lays before all of us. I will do what I can to make the world around me a little better this year. So I guess I am making a resolution after all.