DOJ left hand meet DOJ right hand

On Thursday, as detailed here, AG nominee Alberto Gonzales testified to Congress that he believes “there is a segment of the prison population — juveniles, … first-time, maybe sometimes second-time offenders — who can be rehabilitated.”  He also said, “I think it is not only smart, but I think it’s the right thing to do. I think it is part of a compassionate society to give someone another chance.”

On Friday, we get news of a much different story on rehabilitation.  According to this article from Buffalo, the “Bush administration plans to eliminate a shock incarceration program that many considered a progressive way to help first-time offenders avoid long federal prison terms.”  Here are some highlights, or should I say lowlights, from the article:

While no formal announcement has been made, Carla Wilson, a U.S. Bureau of Prisons spokeswoman in Washington, confirmed Friday that the 14-year-old Intensive Confinement Program will be discontinued.  “Yes, we got word that it’s being phased out,” she said. “I don’t have a lot of information on it at this point.”…

“We’ve been told by (prison officials) that they felt the program was not cost-effective and was not successful at preventing people from becoming repeat offenders,” one court official said.

The program was designed for younger, nonviolent, first-time convicts who faced no more than 30 months in federal prison. Those who qualified spent six months in an intensive “boot camp” that provided strict discipline, job training and counseling, followed by time in a community halfway house and home confinement.

Plans to close down the program drew a negative reaction from a federal judge in Buffalo and from defense attorneys, who called it a rare glimmer of hope for young people entering the criminal justice system.

“I’m shocked,” said District Judge William M. Skretny, who has recommended about 60 defendants for the program since becoming a judge in 1990. “I’d be very disappointed if this shutdown goes forward. I’ve had prisoners write to me after going through the program and tell me what a positive experience it has been in their lives.”

“This is a step backward for the rehabilitation of criminals,” said Timothy W. Hoover, a federal public defender. “This is the crown jewel of the federal prison system. It helps people to get their lives on track. They’re shutting it down without even consulting with the most important people – the judges who do the sentencing.”  Hoover said he contacted the Bureau of Prisons on Friday and was told rumors of the program’s demise were true….

The shutdown also upset Mary Price, general counsel to Families Against Mandatory Minimums, a 35,000-member nationwide group that has been lobbying for sentencing reforms in the federal and state courts.

“This is the kind of program that President Bush and his administration should love,” she said. “It’s a program designed to give people the tools to improve themselves and get back into the world.  At a time when federal sentencing and law seem to be moving in the wrong direction, this program was a beacon.  It’s all about rehabilitation.”