Transition often hard
‘Sponsors’ help ex-convicts adjust
By MARIAN GREEN
Of tfw Emarakl
For many prisoners in Oregon correc
tional institutions, the world beyond the
barbed wire fences is known as the
"outside," a cold, confusing and unin
viting place for released inmates
Sponsors Inc., a Lane County-based
prisoner rehabilitation organization,
wants to make that world more hospita
ble to ex-offenders, says Ed Coleman, a
University English professor and one of
the organization s sponsors
"For some of these guys, all they have
is $100, and they're expected to return to
society, find a job, find a place to live and
re-establish family relationships,
Coleman says
"It's an impossible task "
Sponsors acts as a bridge from prison
to civilian life, by helping prisoners find
jobs, re-enroll in school and re-establish
family relationships. Coleman says The
organization also offers drug and
alcoholism counseling, job develop
ment, community education, prisoner
visits and other services
“That's why we have such a low
recidivism rate,” he says The recidivism
rate is the number of ex-prisoners re
turned to prison for subsequent crimes
Most of the ex-prisoners involved in
Sponsors come from the Oregon State
Correctional Institution Those ex-pri
soners have had only a 9 9 percent
recidivism rate in Sponsors' eight-year
existence Overall, the correctional
facility’s ex-prisoners have had a
recividism rate of 31 9 percent in the last
three-year period
Of the 220 individuals Sponsors served
in the 1980-81 fiscal year, 146 were
prisoners and parolees For Sponsors'
services, the daily cost per prisoner or
parolee was 51 cents Comparatively,
maintaining a prisoner at the state prison
cost $34 44 and $1 81 for each parolee
"Given all the things that Sponsors is
trying to do, the bottom line is we re not
only saving lives, but we re saving the
state money," Coleman says
"The state insists on building new jails
rather than supporting organizations like
Sponsors,” Coleman says, adding that
Sponsors and other organizations are
called "bleeding hearts.”
Coleman says he'd like to see the
present system move toward supporting
alternative rehabilitation organizations
instead of building new jails
"Granted, there are some real thugs
out there, but there are some real talent
ed — and sometimes innocent people —
who, for whatever reason, get sent to
prison," he says
Once or twice a term, Coleman takes a
group of University students to the state
institution to perform songs, dances and
poetry readings
The prisoners' response is tremen
dous, he says
"They just love them They're all very
courteous, and there's no hostility
Everything you do is so appreciated
The students also feel a "spiritual
uplifting" after participating in Sponsors,
he says
But along with the satisfaction of
working in the program comes the
headaches of funding the organization
after recent federal cuts.
“Given the political situation that’s
coming down, we don’t have the re
sources that we did before — like CETA
— so we're relying on grants or just plain
donations," he says.
However, Coleman says Sponsors has
been “lucky.”
"Something's always come through."
And something came through once
again for the program that is picking
members’ brains for new fund-raising
methods, Coleman says.
Saturday, Richie Cole, a nationally
known alto saxophone player, will per
form two benefit concerts for Sponsors.
The 9 and 11 p m performances will be
held at Perry's on Pearl Street. Tickets
are $6 50 and are available at
Everybody’s Records, EMU Main Desk
and Sponsor’s main office, 690 Tyler Ct
For more information, call Sponsors at
485-8341.
Profs seek
student help
Physical education profes
sors Michael Ellis and Dan
Tripps implored students to give
their input on the possible cut of
University physical education
requirements during a Student
University Affairs Board meet
ing Thursday
Currently, all undergraduate
students are required to
complete five one-credit activity
courses to graduate
Ellis said he doesn't want to
proceed with the proposal to cut
the requirements until students
can give their ideas, asserting
that the changes would
dramatically impact your
lives "
If the proposal is passed,
winter and spring terms would
be test periods to see how many
students would continue to en
roll in optional classes, Tripp
explained Administrators
would then make more definite
plans
The department has started
two programs — SHAPE and
Project Enterprise — to increase
income and keep non-paying
people out of the P E areas,
Tripps said
The programs will help "keep
the college afloat, retain faculty
members, and increase
clientele," he said
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