Hospitals & Asylums
Halfway House (HH)
To Amend Chapter 6 Freedmen’s Hospital, set a legal limit of 250 prisoners per 100,000 residents, ratify the Optional Protocol to the against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, transfer the federal Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) to community corrections programs, purchase 59,000 halfway houses from foreclosure auctions over 10 years, pass a Human Right Amendment and 10 Year Community Based Corrections Equality Plan Amendment to Civil Rights Statute.
Be it Enacted in the Senate and House of Representatives, Assembled, Referred to the Judiciary Committee.
1st Draft
2004 & 2005, 2nd 31 January 2006, 3rd 30 January
2007, 4th 7 August 2007, 5th 31 January 2008, 6th
25 January 2009
1.This Halfway House Act replaces the repealed sections of Freedmen’s Hospital 24USC(6)§261-270. Forerunner of the Howard University Hospital, Freedmen's Hospital served the black community in the District of Columbia for more than a century. First established in 1862 on the grounds of the Camp Barker, 13th and R Streets, NW, Freedmen's Hospital and Asylum cared for freed, disabled, and aged blacks. In 1863, the Hospital & Asylum was placed under Dr. Alexander Augusta (1825-1890), the first African-American to head a hospital. After the Civil War, it became the teaching hospital of Howard University Medical School, established in 1868, while remaining under federal control.
2. The US prison population quintupled between 1980 and
2000. The Bureau of Justice
Statistics reported that there were 4,151,125 probationers, 713,990 in
jail, 1,421,911 in prison and another 765,355 on parole for a total
correctional supervision population of 6,996,500 in 2004. In 1980 the
State by State Detention and Need for Community Corrections 2005
Rank |
Correction Agency |
Total Prison Pop. in 1999 |
State Prison Pop. |
Local Jail Population |
per 00,000 |
Estimated Need for Community Beds/Houses |
|
|
US Military |
25,000 |
|
|
|
0 yes |
|
|
179,220 |
N/a |
N/a |
58 |
3 |
|
|
1 |
3,608 |
2,063 |
1,545 |
273 |
0 |
303/12 |
|
2 |
15,422 |
8,399 |
7,023 |
300 |
0 |
2,570/102 |
|
3 |
3,364 |
N/a |
N/a |
313 |
0 yes |
677/27 |
|
4 |
1,975 |
N/a |
N/a |
317 |
0 |
417/17 |
|
5 |
4,184 |
2,456 |
1,728 |
319 |
0 |
905/36 |
|
6 |
22,778 |
10,159 |
12,619 |
356 |
0 |
6,782/271 |
|
7 |
2,288 |
1,344 |
944 |
359 |
0 |
695/28 |
|
8 |
12,215 |
8,578 |
3,637 |
412 |
0 |
4,803/192 |
|
9 |
7,406 |
4,308 |
3,098 |
421 |
3 |
3,008/120 |
|
10 |
8,043 |
3,966 |
4,077 |
443 |
0 |
3,504/140 |
|
11 |
5,705 |
N/a |
N/a |
447 |
0 |
2,614/101 |
|
12 |
29,225 |
16,532 |
12,693 |
465 |
4 |
13,512/541 |
|
13 |
11,514 |
4,775 |
6,739 |
466 |
6 |
5,337/214 |
|
14 |
92,769 |
63,234 |
29,535 |
482 |
0 yes |
44,652/1,786 |
|
15 |
64,735 |
44,669 |
20,066 |
507 |
12 |
32,814/1,313 |
|
16 |
4,923 |
2,658 |
2,265 |
526 |
2 |
2,583/103 |
|
17 |
19,318 |
12,769 |
6,549 |
531 |
2 |
10,223/409 |
|
18 |
46,411 |
28,790 |
17,621 |
532 |
0 yes |
24,601/984 |
|
19 |
19,087 |
N/a |
N/a |
544 |
1 |
10,315/413 |
|
20 |
65,123 |
44,270 |
19,853 |
559 |
19 |
35,998/1,440 |
|
21 |
15,972 |
9,068 |
6,904 |
582 |
0 yes |
9,111/365 |
|
22 |
75,507 |
41,052 |
34,455 |
607 |
3 |
44,409/1,776 |
|
23 |
53,854 |
36,683 |
17,171 |
620 |
39 |
32,139/1,286 |
|
24 |
4,827 |
3,395 |
1,432 |
622 |
0 yes |
2,887/115 |
|
25 |
35,601 |
23,215 |
12,386 |
636 |
5 |
21,606/864 |
|
26 |
39,959 |
22,392 |
17,567 |
637 |
16 |
24,277/971 |
|
27 |
3,552 |
N/a |
N/a |
645 |
0 |
2,175/87 |
|
28 |
36,154 |
21,850 |
14,304 |
653 |
0 |
22,313/893 |
|
29 |
67,132 |
49,014 |
18,118 |
663 |
0 |
41,818/1,673 |
|
30 |
18,693 |
12,568 |
6,125 |
673 |
27 |
11,749/470 |
|
31 |
246,317 |
164,179 |
82,138 |
682 |
11 |
156,025/6,241 |
|
32 |
3,515 |
1,964 |
1,551 |
690 |
1 |
2,242/90 |
|
33 |
4,678 |
4,613 |
65 |
705 |
0 |
3,019/120 |
|
34 |
41,461 |
31,000 |
10,461 |
715 |
66 |
26,964/1,079 |
|
35 |
30,034 |
13,273 |
16,761 |
720 |
2 |
19,605/784 |
|
36 |
33,955 |
20,317 |
13,638 |
728 |
1 |
22,295/892 |
|
37 |
43,678 |
19,445 |
24,233 |
732 |
1 |
28,761/1,150 |
|
38 |
18,265 |
11,155 |
7,110 |
756 |
11 |
12,225/489 |
|
39 |
57,444 |
31,020 |
26,424 |
759 |
94 |
38,523/1,541 |
|
40 |
15,081 |
6,567 |
8,514 |
782 |
1 |
10,260/410 |
|
41 |
11,206 |
7,419 |
3,787 |
784 |
1 |
7,633/305 |
|
42 |
47,974 |
32,495 |
15,479 |
808 |
22 |
33,131/1,325 |
|
43 |
6,916 |
N/a |
N/a |
820 |
14 |
4,808/192 |
|
44 |
35,298 |
23,072 |
12,226 |
830 |
35 |
24,666/987 |
|
45 |
148,521 |
84,901 |
63,620 |
835 |
60 |
104,054/4,162 |
|
46 |
40,561 |
25,418 |
15,143 |
890 |
34 |
29,168/1,167 |
|
47 |
32,593 |
23,008 |
9,585 |
919 |
79 |
23,727/949 |
|
48 |
27,902 |
16,480 |
11,422 |
955 |
6 |
20,597/824 |
|
49 |
223,195 |
156,661 |
66,534 |
976 |
355 |
166,024/6,641 |
|
50 |
92,647 |
47,682 |
44,965 |
1,021 |
39 |
69,962/2,799 |
|
51 |
51,458 |
19,591 |
31,867 |
1,138 |
27 |
40,154/1,606 |
|
|
US Totals |
2,193,798 |
1,259,905 |
747,529 |
737 |
1002 as of |
1,449,633/ 57,985 |
3. Whereas liberating such a large number of people to
community corrections programs and halfway houses safely can only be
accomplished with the undivided co-operation of the state and federal
government, it is proposed in §41 of Chapter 2 to pass a Justice of the Peace
Amendment to the US Constitution. As it
applies to community corrections the amendment states, “Section 6 States shall
probate and parole criminal offenders to halfway houses and equal employment
opportunity programs to safely and sustain ably meet international minimum
standards of detention under the 8th and 14th
Amendments”. Two other Congressional Amendments of Civil Rights Statute in the
United States Code are proposed in this Chapter at §270B-1 Human Rights Amendment and §270B-2 10
Year Community Based Corrections Equality Plan Amendment. The Human Rights Amendment will help to
integrate the Committees of the Human Rights Council into the system of
institutions safeguarding our liberty and set the stage for the abolition of
the death penalty, optional protocol against torture, and equality of women
through the ratification of human rights Protocols. The 10 Year Community Based Corrections
Equality Plan Amendment cuts the prison population in half to less than 1
million in 10 years so that there would be 100,000 fewer prison and 100,000
more halfway house beds every year until the nation had approached the legal
limit of 250 prisoners per 100,000. Politicians from jurisdictions over the legal limit of 250
prisoners per 100,000 citizens shall not be permitted to run for high office in
the federal or state government unless they make substantial progress on this
mathematically quantifiable gauge of liberty without jeopardizing the security
of their citizens. It is imperative that the United
States ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other
Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment of 4
February 2003 to establish a system of regular visits undertaken by
independent international and national bodies to places where people are
deprived of their liberty, in order to prevent torture and other cruel, inhuman
or degrading treatment or punishment.
4. The Human Rights Watch Sentencing
Project Summary of Losing the Rights to Vote: The Impact of Felony
Disenfranchisement in the United States reports, the expansion of suffrage to
all sectors of the population is one of the United States’ most important
political triumphs. Once the privilege of wealthy white men, the vote is now a
basic right held as well by the poor and working classes, racial minorities,
women and young adults. Four states (
5. To
improve regulation states must account for both state prison and county jail
populations so that numerical goals for state prison population reduction can
be enforced. Community corrections
should be placed on the state and local ballots where it is needed to ensure
popular support for the programs. These programs
should greatly reduce the cost of corrections and reduce the crime rate and
recidivism by treating the wayward with the respect and dignity they have often
never enjoyed. Paying work programs,
such as urban renewal and employment counseling are an important way for these
residents to gain self respect and learn a trade with which to lead a crime
free life. It is hoped that the
population of correctional employees shall shift from 476,000 corrections
officers and 84,000 probation and parole officers in 2002 to 250,000
corrections officers and 300,000 probation and parole officers, most staffing
community corrections shelters. To federally finance this transition the $3.3
billion Justice Assistance Grant program must be transferred from unspecified,
treasonous, police programs to community corrections programs so as not to finance
armed forces, redress the prison problem and create a model community
correction program.
G. It is
important to verify the liberty of a geographic region by the performing the
calculation for density of prisoners per 100,000 citizens
100,000 x
prison population / total population = prisoners per 100,000
ie. 100,000 x 2.2 million / 300 million = 733 prisoners per 100,000
6. When
the total number of state, local and federal detainees from a county or any other
geographic region, exceeds 250 prisoners per 100,000 citizens that area must
found enough halfway beds for the more harmless sentenced prisoners to serve
their time on probation or parole in the community corrections system to reduce
the prison population below the acceptable legal limit of 250 prisoners per
100,000. The state and federal
governments must make it very clear, in their language, in their actions, and
their finance, that they require a normal rate of incarceration and to achieve
such a goal safely there is no alternative to the halfway house. Community corrections costs only around $5,000 a
year, per capita, while incarceration costs $25,000. These individuals would then be free to
participate in the labor market and the
7. Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world, I make this pledge of Martin Luther King Jr.:
I pledge to do everything that I can to make America and the world a place where equality and justice, freedom and peace will grow and flourish.
I pledge to make nonviolence a way of life in my dealings with all people.
I will reject all forms of hatred, bigotry, prejudice and slavery.
I will embrace the values of unconditional, universal love, truthfulness, courage, compassion, and dedication to a community where all people can live together as sisters and brothers.
Sanders, Tony J. Halfway House. Chapter 6. Hospitals & Asylums. 25 January 2009. www.title24uscode.org/corrections.doc