United States Representative Mary Gay Scanlon Spoke with Cheyney University Academics and Students on Criminal justice Reform
(Cheyney, PA – April 17, 2019) – United States Representative Mary Gay Scanlon (D-5th District) was at Cheyney State University last week for a frank and open discussion with students and teachers on criminal justice reform.
The discussion covered a range of interrelated topics such as mass incarceration, the War on Drugs, private prisons, recidivism and education. The students offered their thoughtful points of view on how federal, state and local officials can and should approach criminal justice. Rep. Scanlon, who is serving her first term in Congress, said innovation in education is extremely important but that when people who have served time in prison are released, there needs to be more and comprehensive options for them.
“The War on Drugs decimated our poorest communities and many, many families were impacted,” she said. “One of the successful programs in Philadelphia was the STAR program which if the participants completed, would get a year knocked off of their probation.”
Scanlon went on to say that the STAR Program (Supervision to Aid Reentry) was a federal reentry court program for Philadelphia residents on supervised release. Every two weeks, up to 20 participants appear as a group before a federal magistrate judge to report on their progress. The Court and Federal Probation Office assist with education, training, employment, and other needs and impose graduated sanctions when necessary. After participants successfully complete 52 weeks, they are eligible for a reduction of their supervised release period up to one year.
“There are just far too many barriers for returning citizens and we have to remove their barriers if we’re going to lower recidivism,” she said.
Ciani Ross, a senior at Cheyney said she sees quality education and mentoring as a key component in criminal justice reform.
“For children, it starts with what they see and what they’re exposed to,” Ross said. “There definitely needs to be more after school programs but also a focus on identifying children who might be handling serious issues such as trauma from violence. Children just don’t act out for no reason. When they do, it’s really a cry for help. If we don’t have early and thorough intervention we’re not going to deter them from ending up prison.”
Ryan Taylor, another senior at Cheyney said he had been through the criminal justice system. He also sees education as a critical factor in steering young people away from the streets and the criminal influence rampant there.
“It starts with education but also realizing that not everyone wants to be college bound,” he said. “There needs to be other options such as reinvesting in the trades and putting those programs back into the schools.”
Scanlon stated that in terms of reforming the criminal justice system, it makes sense to invest more on the front end in order to lessen future costs of incarceration.
“We need to invest more in our public schools. Invest more in mental health. There are people being sentenced to prison who have mental illnesses and our prisons are not really equipped to handle that,” she said. “Doesn’t it make sense to invest in people who may have made mistakes and give them the incentive to do better? Why not help them obtain commercial driver’s licenses and obtain trade skills while they’re serving time so when they’re released they have a real chance and rebuilding their lives?”
About Cheyney University
Cheyney University is America’s oldest and first institution of higher learning for African Americans. It was founded on February 25, 1837 at a time when African Americans were not allowed to study at other universities. Although its current student population is predominantly African American, Cheyney University today receives students from various races, nationalities and cultures who are seeking a quality higher education. As America’s first HBCU (Historically Black College or University) it is considered a national treasure.
Read more at www.cheyney.edu.
