Don Lykes of Developing Into Dads sits down with DaMareo Cooper to discuss mass incarceration, House Bill 56 and a few myths about the prison system in general in this episode of Akronist TV. Cooper, who works for the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, seeks to help hardworking felons get a second chance with a job and a new start in life.
He discusses a few myths about the mass incarceration system, primarily the myth that all people with felonies are inherently bad. Many do deserve a second chance to enter back into society, he says, adding that even though more people are being locked up that violent crime has decreased over the past 20 years and not everyone in prison is a violent offender.
(Photo: Blue Green)
Cooper points out that the U.S. system of taking people away from their families as punishment, directly breaks apart the family structure, often leading to another generation entering the prison system. When the family member does get out, he or she has a hard time finding a job and living a normal life due to the felony. House Bill 56 is geared toward giving felons a chance to get back into the workforce and becoming active members of society.
Check out The Ohio Organizing Collaborative website at www.ohorganizing.org.
More on House Bill 56: www.legislature.ohio.
