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America's problem prisonsĀ - can an innovative program keep
convicts from going back?
The number of inmates in American prisons is outpacing the
system's ability to hold them all. In one startling example,
California prisons hold 70,000 more inmates than they're designed
for, even though the state has built a dozen new prisons in the
last 15 years. One of the biggest reasons is rampant
recidivism.
"Right now, seven out of every 10 inmates that leaves this
prison comes back,"California Warden Mike Poulos tells NOW. "We
need to stop that revolving door."
In this episode, NOW goes inside an Illinois prison that may
have the answer to California's problems. With its innovative plan
to keep released inmates from coming back, the Sheridan
Correctional Center is trying to redefine "tough on crime"by being
the largest fully dedicated drug prison in the country. The
approach involves aggressive counseling, job training ... and
following the convicts after they get out. Can their novel approach
keep convicts out of jail for good? NOW looks at the lives of three
different men - all in different stages of the system - to find
out.
The NOW Web site at www.pbs.org/now will provide
additional coverage starting Friday, June 1, 2007. Features include
facts and figures on U.S. prisons and prisoners and revealing
poetry from one former inmate.