LANSING, Mich. — Citizens for Prison Reform joined together today at the House of Representatives to discuss program involvement, education, and unjust prison practices.
Cindy Shank who was formally incarcerated was the keynote speaker at Wednesday's conference to share her story of being incarcerated for nine years.
Shank was convicted on drug crimes for conspiracy and possession, although she didn't sell drugs, her boyfriend she lived with did.
She was sentenced to 15 years in prison, but thanks to former President Obama she received clemency from him.
Shank served nine of her fifteen-year sentence with three daughters at home.
She said there's always a learning curve when returning home to your family after being away for so long, but she's happy to be back with them.
During her time in prison, Shank notices how difficult it is for prisoners to receive an education.
As one of the key topics to discuss in Wednesday's meeting she said due to her sentence being so long, she kept being pushed further down the list to enroll in classes to make room for people with lesser sentencing.
Education isn't the only problem prisoners face.
Solitary confinement has led to a lot of inept social skills for prisoners.
Currently, in Michigan there are 975 people in solitary confinement.
Here they eat, sleep, and go to the bathroom all within the same small cell.
They are kept from other prisoners and have about an hour outside each day alone.
Aaron Kinzel, who was in solitary confinement for three years says he still has nightmares and has anxiety when put in small spaces.
Kinzel said, "It's psychologically damaging to individuals. It causes all kinds of problems. A young man developing, I found it made me more aggressive, more violent, more disconnected from societal needs when I come out on the streets. I think the whole idea of solitary is just really keeping people from being able to fulfill whatever it is they need to do out on the streets."
The founder and president of Citizens for Prison reform said she wants the Department of Corrections to change the culture of prisons and focus on rehabilitation, education, and programming and she said she wants lawmakers to support them with those changes.
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