President Obama made another significant break from the policies of the previous Bush administration when he signed an order authorizing federal funding for stem-cell research. The reports that I saw on CNN indicated that President Obama would not allow the specious value of politics to interfere with the objective findings of science. We have seen this pattern in President Obama’s decision making, and it brings me hope he will continue to rely on the findings of academia and objective data when he tackles the issue of prison reform.

President Obama has launched his presidency with the most ambitious agenda of any president in my lifetime. With each decision, he has consulted and relied upon the documented findings of experts. With President Clinton, it seemed as if public opinion polls guided decisions. With President Bush, it seemed as if right-wing fanaticism was at the heart of decision making. President Obama relies upon scientific data.

This trend pleases me, because scientific data like The Pew Report show the absurdity of our nation’s prison system. That document, together with numerous other reports, including reports recently released by the U.S. Sentencing Commission, show that our country is in need of prison reform. We have one in every 31 Americans under the supervision of the criminal justice system. At more than $59 billion in annual expenditures, as Congress reported in The Second Chance Act, this system perpetuates failure as shown through 70 percent recidivism rates.

When President Obama begins to consider prison reform ideas, I am confident that he will not disregard objective findings by academia. He will not kowtow to prison lobbyists like President Bush, or play to the opinion polls like President Clinton. The decisions that President Obama has made during these first 49 days of his presidency suggest that he will lead. That leadership ought to introduce prison reform legislation that will allow prisoners to earn freedom through merit. To help influence that prison reform, I woke early today to begin my work. By 3:30 this morning I was writing. I finished four articles before 7:00 am, then I went to the track and ran 10 miles. That lifts my tally to 795 miles over the past 87 consecutive days. Following my run, I showered and shaved. I then consulted my notes to prepare for a two-hour class I had to lead in the afternoon. In the late afternoon I reviewed mail I had received. I was in bed before 6:00, but reading kept me awake until ten past seven. That was when I thanked God for the blessings my family has received, then pulled the beanie over my eyes to sleep.

The structure of my life really eases my prison adjustment. I feel as if I am living a life of meaning. My primary motivation continues to be this urge I feel to come home to Carole. I’m still living in the pit of imprisonment. The work I do to come closer to her, however, together with these deliberate and measurable efforts I make, bring me the feeling that I am climbing toward freedom. That was the general message I offered to the class I taught today.

Monday, 10 March 2009

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