Operation Get Smart teaches responsibility
Current and former inmates shared their personal stories and interpretations of the criminal justice system Thursday at the Capstone dormitory as part of the Operation Get Smart program.
The 11 inmates debated the meaning of words such as corrections, justice and choice.
OGS, implemented in 1976, is sponsored by the South Carolina Department of Corrections. The program’s main focus is to inform the public on criminal life in order to prevent others from making bad decisions, especially youth. The inmates who are chosen must pass a rigorous screening process, as well as training and orientation. Ten inmates are chosen by the Manager for Public Awareness Programs to travel the state and share their stories. Everyone involved in the program hopes that these personal stories will save others from becoming felons.
One former inmate discussed his issues with the corrections system.
“They call it the South Carolina Department of Corrections. But here’s the problem: Do they really correct us when we’re in prison? To me, it just seems like they lock us up and throw away the key. We have to fend for ourselves — fight, steal, sometimes we kill each other just to survive in prison,” he said.
Another former inmate shared his personal story and his thoughts on justice.
“They sentenced me to the Department of Corrections for 12 years with assault and battery and intent to kill a police officer. Now is that justice? Yeah, because I committed a crime,” he said. “One thing I’ve learned is that true justice is taking responsibility for your own actions.”
The inmate continued his story.
“I did not realize how many people I would affect when I shot into that car. There was a 20-year-old in the back seat that just left his pregnant girlfriend and was going home to his mom, his dad, his little sister. He never made it because I shot him twice in the back and took his life. Right now, there is a little girl that would never know the love and compassion that her father could have for her because of the choice that I made. There is a sister out there without a big brother, a mom that would never be able to share Mother’s Day with her son and a dad that cannot take his son fishing or just to share words with him because of my choice. I made that choice. Everything that I get, I get my just dessert,” he said.
OGS, which was originally funded by the State Legislature until the mid-1980s, now relies solely on the Department of Corrections for financial backing. To fully operate the program, it costs $90,000, according to the Department of Correction’s website. When considering the housing costs of an adult inmate for one year at $15,000 and the housing costs of a juvenile inmate at $28,000, the department believes that the program can quickly be paid for through preventative measures. If the program can prevent six adults or three juveniles from being incarcerated, the program is essentially paid for.
A current inmate believed in taking responsibility for his crime. He said that it was his choice; there is nobody else to blame.
For more information about the Get Smart program, go to www.doc.sc.gov/programs/getsmart.jsp, or contact the Manager for Public Awareness Programs at 803-896-1846.