Commission on Safety and Abuse in America's Prisons: Three Years Later

This week marks the third anniversary of the culmination of Vera’s Commission on Safety and Abuse in America’s Prisons.  On June 8, 2006, the Commission released its final report, Confronting Confinement, to a standing-room only crowd at a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Corrections and Rehabilitation. Each year at this time, the memory of that event prods me to seek cause for optimism – something that doesn’t always come naturally to this cynic.

In the weeks leading up to the release of the report, Alex Busansky, the Commission’s executive director and a self-described “hard-wired optimist,” played against type and cautioned us to rein in our expectations for the hearing.  He had worked for a senator prior to joining Vera and warned us that there is hearing burnout on the Hill:  senators are often fed questions by their staff;  crowds are thin; attention is short.

I was easily convinced the event would be small and that we would have an uphill battle finding an audience for our recommendations. But we all, including Alex, got a welcome surprise that day. Not only did Senators Coburn and Durbin actively run the hearing, they sat in rapt attention as five of our commissioners testified, backed by an audience that had flowed out of the hearing room. Both the senators and their audience were engaged and energized by our work. We committed that day to breathe life into the Commission’s recommendations.

Three years later I have no trouble finding cause for optimism. The office Vera built inWashington, DC, after the release of the report is thriving. We are actively working around the country to strengthen oversight of corrections in line with the Commission’s recommendations, and the national conversation around criminal justice reform is increasingly promising. Just last week, on June 11^th, the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs held a hearing to discuss Senator Webb (D-VA)’s proposed National Criminal Justice Commission Act.  I’m excited about the potential in Webb’s commission and enjoying an opportunity to look back on our Commission’s work and now 3-year legacy.