“There is so much violence in your silence.”

– Spoken word poetry at Second Annual BRIDGE Event

A delegation of ISAIAH staff and leaders attended the Second Annual BRIDGE event at Lino Lakes prison on January 13.  A couple years ago, a young man named Kevin Reese, who is incarcerated at the Lino Lakes state correctional facility, heard Voices for Racial Justice community organizer Vina Kay on a radio show. Kevin wrote to Vina, she responded, and soon after he started organizing fellow prisoners as part of the BRIDGE partnership.

It was an amazing day of fellowship, with a meal shared, music from the house band, spoken word, and powerful testimony and discussion. The incarcerated men showed incredible talent, energy, and hunger for connection.

Over and over, it became clear that being connected to family and community support is crucial to getting on a path toward healing and redemption. Further, it was very clear that a deep sense of powerlessness often lays beneath destructive behavior. One man said that after losing his freedom, his wife, his child, and his home, he was still addicted to heroin and stated, “I need help,” revealing how prison is not a solution to addiction. Gaining a healthy sense of one’s own power, in relationship to others and grounded in an informed analysis of the social systems in which we live, is critical to success.

The BRIDGE organizers had invited Governor Dayton, and working through his staff, ISAIAH encouraged his attendance. Unfortunately he was unable to make it, but Lt. Governor Tina Smith came, as well as his Chief of Staff and General Counsel. Senator Scott Dibble and Rep. Ray Dehn also spent the day at the event.

Commissioner of Corrections Tom Roy and much of his top staff was also present. Commissioner Roy said that last year, over 8,000 people were admitted to state prisons. Of those, 2,700 were re-admitted after violating some condition of their release. At a recent Prison Population Task Force meeting, the Department of Corrections presented research about ways to reduce recidivism. It turns out visitation in prison – whether from friends, family or community volunteers – reduces recidivism by 13-25%. Yet nearly 60% of Minnesota prisoners receive ZERO visits.

Mr. Reese and several other men in the Lino Lakes prison meet weekly as part of BRIDGE. They have teamed up with Take Action Minnesota’s Justice4All program to generate letters to Governor Dayton supporting Restore the Vote and to President Obama to push for federal Ban the Box policy. They have also organized two day-long workshops with approximately 150 incarcerated men, Department of Corrections staff, public and elected officials, community leaders, and service providers.