“Getting Ready”  is more than just a catch phrase for the Arizona State Prison-Douglas program. It is a goal.

Arizona Department of Corrections-Douglas prisoners donated a room full of toys, bikes and other gifts to foster families in the area as part of their annual drive. Pictured, front row, is Johhnie Anderson, Rene Barragon, Jose L/. Reyes, Michael Ross, Bobby Harwood and Robert Verdugo. Standing, in the back row, are Warden David Rivas, Jeremiah Jackson, COIV Joseph Moses, Deputy Warden Linda Forester, Lisa Lucero, Elias Estrada, COII Oscar Saldate and Captain Tim Patterson.

The program has many benefits, but the main goal is to get inmates ready for release – prepare them for reentry into society by making prison life as similar to the outside world as possible.

“The average stay for an inmate is 29 months, so we do not have a whole lot of time,” said David Rivas, warden of  ASPC Douglas.

The program is part of the Restorative Justice program to give back to the community.

The Restorative Justice Program holds offenders directly accountable to the victims and the community they harmed. Offenders take full responsibility for their actions. This requires the offender to understand how their actions affected others, acknowledging that their actions were a conscious choice they made, and their actions caused others harm. In taking responsibility for their actions, they also need to repair the harm where possible and avoid harmful actions in the future.

This year, prisoners raised funds for bikes, new toys and other gifts to help out foster children and their families.

So far this year, the unit has more than $15,000 in funds and items. Last year that figure topped $44,000.

This year’s figure doesn’t include another $12,000 to assist the House of Hope

This particular Christmas program, called Angel Tree, has been around for eight years.

 “This is a program where everyone needs to be involved – staff and inmates. If everyone doesn’t buy into it, it can’t be a success,” Rivas said.

Inmates relate

Comments from the inmates says programs like these let them escape mentally from the sameness of prison life and  give something back to those who need it most, children.

• “It’s about feeling like a person again. It is a beautiful feeling. I feel like part of society again.”

•”It is especially rewarding when doing the gift wrapping. At least we are taking part in something for children that need help. I can’t be home for Christmas but this is a nice substitute.”

• “It just feels great giving back to the community. It’s good to wake up and know that I have helped a child.”

• “It shows that even though you are stuck in here you can still make a difference. That the negative can be turned into a positive.

• “We are away from home, away from our families, away from our kids. People look at us in these orange jumpsuits and realize that we do care. It’s great to pull together and do something for the kids. Just because we are in orange doesn’t make us bad people.”

• “We are always willing to do more.”

Getting Ready Program

“Getting Ready” is a award winning program that helps inmates return to society as contributors.

As a successful initiative of Arizona’s Department of Corrections, the state-wide program facilitates inmate reentry into society by structuring the prison environment like the outside world with real-world workdays and leisure time activities, progressive decision-making and earned opportunities to advance.

The Department implemented Getting Ready: Keeping Communities Safe in 2004, as an alternative to conventional correctional systems in which staff exercises complete control over prisoners, affording most inmates few opportunities to acquire and apply basic skills critical to their success. By contrast, Arizona’s initiative empowers inmates to take control of their own lives, shifting pre-release preparation from staff to inmates with graduated incentives and earned privileges to recognize good behavior.

Called a Parallel Universe, life in prison is restructured to resemble life in the community to the greatest extent possible.  Inmates are encouraged to earn high school (equivalency) diplomas, achieve and maintain sobriety, and work full time during the work day, and serve as community volunteers, participate in victim-focused activities and strengthen family ties in prison during leisure time. To ensure success and sustainable wages after inmates are released, job training and job assignments behind bars are aligned with actual Arizona industries. And, just like the real-world, inmates’ wages improve with post secondary education and good work evaluations, and their status advances with community service and volunteerism.

Prior to the development of Getting Ready, nearly half (42 percent) of all Arizona inmates released returned to prison within three years. Since its implementation over four years ago, the inmate population has increased 17 percent, operating funds have been reduced and the system is more overcrowded and still, the Department operates much better than before thanks to the program’s traction within the inmate community and its widespread support among staff.

A study of inmates who participated in Getting Ready prior to their release from prison demonstrated its graduates are 35 percent more successful in the community than inmates of comparable risk. In addition to lowering the recidivism rate, inmate-on-inmate violence is down by 37 percent, inmate-on-staff assaults by 51 percent, and inmate suicides by 33 percent. The initiative also cut inmate litigation by 42 percent and brought down staff vacancies from over 30 to fewer than 3 percent. The prison population is increasingly embracing opportunities for pre-release preparation. Three quarters of the inmate population has earned high school equivalency diplomas and completed bona-fide jobs training.

They have also donated over $1 million to crime victim organizations in Arizona. Plummeting rates of institutional violence and recidivism represent a $1.6 million reduction in spending in its first several years directly benefiting Arizona taxpayers.