About 40,000 people are released from prison into the Philadelphia region each year. Many of these ex-offenders find it difficult to reenter society.
To address the issue of rehabilitation for ex-prisoners, the Division of Public Safety hosted a panel discussion yesterday titled "Life After Prison."
The event was part of Penn's Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Symposium on Social Change.
The discussion focused on public policy and faith-based solutions to the problems ex-offenders face in trying to reintegrate into their communities.
Panelists included Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Everett Gillison, Dean of the School of Social Policy and Practice Richard Gelles and Associate Vice Provost for Equity and Access Reverend William Gipson.
Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush moderated the discussion.
One of the focal points of the discussion was the importance of getting employers to hire people who have criminal records.
"We've got to get people in society not to say, 'Give them the scarlet letter,'" Gillison said.
He said he wants to convince companies that the labor pool of ex-offenders is "a resource that needs to be tapped and would be positive for their environment."
According to the Mayor's Office for the Reentry of Ex-Offenders, there are 298,400 people in Philadelphia who have criminal backgrounds.
Gillison said employers should not be wary of hiring them.
"In this economy especially, we need people who can do things," he said. "I'm not asking you to take a bank robber and put him in your treasury department."
Gelles said that employment was a significant deterrent to recidivism. "The world of work ... is a stake in conformity," he said. "Identity in this society comes from 'What do you do?'"
According to Gipson, the former University Chaplain, there exists a "cradle-to-prison pipeline" that makes certain people predisposed to incarceration from a young age.
Helping children with preventative measures early in life is better than using remedial measures when they are older, Gelles said.
A secure family environment prevents juvenile delinquency, Gillison said.
"If we can handle some of the domestic violence, we may be able to do something about the pipeline," he said.
Gipson spoke about faith-based services available to ex-offenders, saying they often look to churches for "the support of a community."
He mentioned the Fugitive Safe Surrender initiative, a four-day period during which people wanted for non-violent crimes with no history of violence could surrender in safety at the True Gospel Tabernacle Family Church.
He said there was a symbolism in hosting the surrender in a church. "We needed the members of the faith community," he said.
"If the churches are not paying attention to [ex-offenders], we are failing the cause that we ordain," Gipson said.
The discussion was held in the Ben Franklin Room of Houston Hall.
