To help combat the issue of prison expansion the NAACP
has enacted the NAACP Prison Project. A civilized society
must punish those who break the laws and harm the innocent
in a community. It must not, however, cosign those
individuals to the trash heap of humanity, leaving them to
perpetuate the cycle of violence and despair, ruining their
own lives and furthering the suffering of the community.
Instead, a civilized society must help those individuals
begin the long journey back to productive, meaningful lives.
The NAACP is assisting that journey through its prison
project. The Project is spearheading efforts to bring more
positive and productive choices to the ever-growing number
of youthful offenders who find themselves shackled and caged
beneath the cities of America. The Prison Project is in the
process of establishing chapters in correctional facilities
across the country to tutor and mentor inmates and to ease
their transition back into the community. Through such
direct intervention and assistance, we can reclaim lives,
families, and communities, and empower even those considered
the least among us to become a vital part of society again.