The person who hurt hurts people, and healing heals people,” said Eldra Jackson III, explaining the mission of Inside Circle, the non-profit organization he founded for his life after his release from prison in 2013 Outside Prison, which focuses on harm reduction and focuses on therapy, beyond. Usually, success has been achieved in reducing relapse rates, but more money is needed to expand its work.
Jackson, now Co-Executive Director of Inside Circle, has an extraordinary story to tell. A gifted athlete in his early teens, he joined a gang on the streets of Sacramento in the 1980s. The turning point in Jackson’s life came after his solitary confinement at New Folsom State Prison, California, following the attempted murder of another inmate.
After being released from solitary confinement, Jackson began attending meetings organized by Inside Circle, founded in New Folsom in 1996 by another inmate, Patrick Nolan. The group encouraged the men to talk to others about their hopes and fears – focusing on their similarities rather than their differences.
“For me, an older man in his thirties is humbly challenged about who I am as a person and doesn’t have good answers,” Jackson said. “It was a surreal moment to see a man I had known for many years in prison who received love and compassion; it’s weird, but at the same time, I feel at home, and I’m sure I want to be there. “
Nolan’s original vision was for a group to see released inmates who supported the Inside Works initiative outside of prison. Although Nolan died in custody in 2000, figures like Jackson made that vision a reality. Inside Circle continues to lead men’s groups in New Folsom and has developed similar projects in Massachusetts, Illinois, and New Jersey.
The results are impressive. US recidivism statistics show that up to 80% of those released from prison continue to commit crimes at the national level. None of the 171 men who had completed the Inside Circle program before their release from prison returned to jail. Only a handful came into contact with the law after they were released.
“This works because we give people the space to learn about themselves and focus on the things that keep them going,” Jackson said. “My own experience is that my behavior changes as I develop my self-image and how I see how other people change.”