You know enough about Barrett Brown at this point that I won’t insult you by linking to his name. There’s a decent chance that, come 2017, he’ll be writing posts in this space (in longhand, then typed by someone else, because he won’t be allowed to use a computer). Till then, he has a suggested outlet for your philanthropic urges:
Each year, the Bureau of Prisons releases a couple hundred federal inmates into the Dallas area, many of whom were held on nonviolent drug offenses for periods best measured in decades. The great majority want to find work, something that’s often made more difficult than usual due to the BOP’s bizarrely restrictive requirements on those, such as myself, who are still technically under their jurisdiction for months after leaving prison. One of my roommates here at the Volunteers of America halfway house has received two job offers since getting here, only to be denied both positions due to some technicality — and then he received an “incident report” for not having a job.
The Way Back House, Inc. makes all of this easier. Executive Director Albert Richard, who shows up here every week to teach an employment orientation class, provides halfway house residents with an array of crucial job search services, including resume assistance and, critically, access to computers. (This halfway house had several intended for use by inmates, but as of a few months ago, residents are barred from using them due to unspecified “security issues”; we’re also barred from having smartphones.)
Mr. Richard receives no government funding to assist him in the valuable work he does for former inmates, their families, and society at large. Please consider donating at thewaybackhouse.org.
