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17, 1996
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Program Teaches Inmates Alternatives To Crime
Growing up a child of alcoholic
parents, Sandra Hamrick says she
was often told she would "turn out
just like them." It was a behavior
pattern she began to follow at an
early age. By 10, she had tried pot. At
12, she was using alcohol and drugs.
Now, at 33, after several years in and
our of county jails and state prisons,
Sandra Hamrick, says she has had
enough.
According to Hamrick, an inmate
at Oregon’s Columbia River Correc
tional Institution (CRCI) in north
east Portland, she is finally ready to
change her behavior and start a new
life thanks to an innovative program
called LifeskiIls, developed and ad
ministered by the national nonprofit
organization Women in Community
Service (WICS). Hamrick says the
skills learned in this program and the
continued support of WICS start and
volunteers will help her find em
ployment, stay drug-free and avoid
resuming criminal behavior after she
is released this month
"WICS has helped me see that are
many options and that I have to work
to take advantage of them,” says
Hamrick. “I’ve learned that I have to
take baby steps. In the past, I always
wanted the end result right away or
I’d just give up. I’m not willing to
give up this time.”
In addition to the addictions she
developed early in her life, Hamrick
was involved in a variety of abusive
relationships through the years, suf
fering both emotional and physical
abuse. Even though she was able to
stop abusing drugs and alcohol at
times, she lived in unstable and de
structive environments and contin
ued the behaviors that eventually
caused her to end up in CRCI.
“People all around me were using
drugs,” says Hamrick "There wasn’t
a day that went by that I wasn’t
gambling, smoking and drinking."
Hamrick is one o f more than 200
women at the CRCI w ho have partic
ipated in W'ICS' Portland Lifeskills
program since it began in 1992. Like
Hamrick, all o f the women partici
pating in Lifeskills are within three
months of release fropi prison w hen
they begin the program. They attend
classes from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p in ,
four days a week. Lifeskills consists
of four basic elements: job skills
evaluation, life skills training,
volunteerism and mentorship.
Hamrick says Lifeskills appealed
to her because of its holistic approach
to personal development, the diver
sity of class topics, and post-pro-
gram support. Classes include topics
such as personal health, self-advoca
cy, budgeting, anger management,
job search techniques, and more.
Hamrick credits the in-depth skills
assessment test, which all Lifeskills
participants take, with opening her
eyes to new employment opportuni
ties.
“I knew I could do restaurant work,
but these tests showed that I would be
good at higher paying jobs,” explains
Hamrick. "I know I need more train
ing for some of these jobs, but WICS
has taught me how to look into that.
I thought I ’d have to work in fast food
my whole life. These tests said I had
skills that would allow me to work as
a supervisor-something I’d never
considered before.”
Hamrick plans to take full advan
tage of other community resources
that she learned about through WICS,
including an outpatient rehabilita
tion program "I’m not required to be
in rehab this time,” says Hamrick,
"but I’m requiring it of myself I
don’t want to come back here (pris
on). I have a completely different
perspective this time because of
Lifeskills I’m not lying to myself
this time No one is forcing me to
change-1’m doing it for myself."
Originally funded through a grant
from the W.K. Kellogg f oundation,
WICS" Lifeskills program in Port
land is currently funded by the Ore
gon Department o f Corrections.
WICS Lifeskills is a unique collabo
ration between government, private
organizations and the local commu
nity working together to help women
who are at-risk become self-suffi
cient. By serving as mentors or pro
viding support services, volunteers
from the local community have a
direct role in empowering at-risk
women
Hamrick and 12 other female In
mates graduated from Lifeskills on
July 13 The ceremony was held at
the Reorganized Church of Jesus
Christ o f Latter-Day Saints, 4837
NECouch in Portland, Oregon Grad
uates had on caps and gowns and
receive diplomas at the ceremony,
which drew more than 130 friends,
family and supporters from the com
munity.
Well, If There Are No Jobs, What About Starting A Business?
m P rof
M< c KlNI.FA
K im fa B
Bi i R m I
ROF, , M
thmiKnnric
ic o n ic
thousands 1 irvin
upon i h m thousands
of sue
On the one hand, I was surprised
cessful small manufacturing busi
at the number of readers who said
nesses (large ones too), 1 pointed out
they had never heard o f “structural
in a follow-up article that over 90°o
unemployment” (the permanent as
ofthose “successful” enterprises were
signment ofcertain population groups
started up by craftsmen or others
to that economic disability).
who had gained on-the-job experi
But, on the other hand, a goodly
ence-then had spun off to establish a
number responded that they may not
competitive operation in a familiar
have known what to call it, though
field and, more often then not, with
they certainly knew the problem was
adequate financing from banks, rela
“built-in” and was closely connected
tives, friends or venture capitalists.
with race. That reminds me o f the
And I recited a number of other
Supreme Court justice who said, “I
relevant facts that hold just as true
may not be able to describe pornog
today—whatever the accounts of
raphy but I sure know it when I see
media, governmental agencies or
it.” Well, in the one case it would
pundits-at-large. I knew (know) from
seem to hurt, and in the other, give a
all those years of accounting experi
titi nation, or pleasurable excitement.
ence and hands-on operations that,
Whatever!
while in some parts of the country
It was reassuring to be informed
African Americans have on-the-job
that one small group had formally
opportunities to acquire very com
organized around an economic self-
petitive skills and industrial tech
help plan after reading my July 7,
niques, they have never had avail
1993 PortlandObserverarticle, "Eco
able to them that second stage of
nomic Turmoil Abroad In Our Land”.
economic empowerment cited in the
After detailing the bad news ofesca-
preceding paragraph. And good
latingjob layoffs—and what workers
leaseholds are essential.
might look for as a tip-off-l gave a
Some readers may remember when
tongue-in-cheek report on the other
I told of the NBC television program
side o f the coin.”
which interviewed Americans “who
The footsie Roll Candy company
had made it big”. This particular Sun
o f Chicago is doubling its payroll of
day, the founder of’TIoliday Inns" and
several hundred-and the market for
"famous Amos” of cookie fame were
dinosaurs and other Jurassic-age
given the spotlight. The hotel tycoon
products is very good. However, in
rattled off his typical ‘Horatio Alger’
speaking of Chicago, a great city for
saga, and allowed how America was
*L _ I
I z'
x.
truly the land of opportunity for any
body who j umped offa boat and worked
hard; nothing to it.
But with brother Amos, it was a
different story. It seemed like when
he went to the banks for a given
amount o f money for production
equipment for a going business the
answer was “no”. But when he went
down the street to a consumer-fi
nance company with a request for the
same sum, the answer was a resound
ing “yes”—at triple the interest.
We say all this simply to forewarn
that in thecurrent frenetic atmosphere
o f economic hysteria one must as
surely be on guard as ever despite the
assurances from a hundred televi
sion spots that for any price from
National Minority
Association Selects Irving
f all 503-288-0033 To Advertise Far Diversity
Advertise In (The jLlnrHaitb (lf)l isevuvr
_
$39.95 to $159.50 you can get the
golden key to a comfortable six-fig
ure income or retirement nest egg;
loose leaf text or CD-ROM, take
your choice (These boys have ‘their’
key, alright).
Of course, a lot of folks are still
trying to figure out how sensible busi
ness people could be "opposed to
raising the minimum wage, when
they’re going to get it cell back
through their cash registers anyway."
One reader would remind us o f sev
eral well-known Albina to business
men who grew rich during the 1960’s
and 1970’s servicing model cities
residents and organizations. At their
downtown or Beaverton watering
holes they would deplore the welfare
National Minority Association
Selects Irving
Cynthia Irving, Administrative
Specialist and Assistant to the Dean
for Student Affairs in the School of
Medicine, was elected Western Re
gional Director for the National As
sociation of Medical Minority Edu
cators. Irving has served as the asso
ciation’s Regional Treasurer and
Regional C onference Program
Chairwoman. Irving will also serve
as 1996 Conference Chairwoman
for NAMME’s annual meeting to be
held in Portland in September.
NAMME facilitates the entry of
underrepresented ethnic/racial mi
norities into the health professions
and addresses the diverse needs of
this group.
recipients and the poor who were
“draining America".
Reminds me of a doctor I had
during the same period, a mouthy
person with the same attitude. I did
gain the satisfaction of reminding
him that he got his medical education
courtesy ofthe US. government. And
then, of course, there is corporate-
welfare and fat book contracts for
conservative politicians. What’s a
poor man to do?
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