HISTORY OF TX CURE
HOW
TX CURE BEGAN
In 1972, in San Antonio,
Texas, former catholic priest Charles Sullivan was arrested during his
participation in anti-war activities. During his 5-day stay at the Bexar County
Jail, Charlie and his wife Pauline (a former nun) became familiar with the
problems of prisoners and their families. After Charlie's release, the
Sullivans, along with other concerned people, instituted a bus service from San
Antonio to Huntsville to facilitate visits between prisoners and their families
and friends. Through this bus service project, Charlie and Pauline began
organizing people concerned about crime - the causes; the effects on victims
and offenders and their families, and on the community; and on the lack of
effective solutions.
CURE (Citizens United for Rehabilitation of Errants) was formed.
This group recognized some common problems among prisoners -
inadequate education, lack of employment skills, limited or no access to
desperately needed health care (both physical and mental), and insufficient
support programs in their communities. Race, poverty, and a complex legal
system added to their problems. People coming out of prison reentered their
communities with these same problems but compounded by the brutality they had
experienced in prison and the stigma of their having served prison time. Many
crime victims (who are often also from disadvantaged backgrounds) also suffer
under these same conditions and sometimes become offenders (e.g., an abused/neglected
child who does not receive necessary caring/counseling/treatment may grow up to
expresses his anger and hurt through violent/criminal behavior). Ever
increasing amounts of tax dollars are going to build prisons at the direct
expense of education and health and human needs. Those early founders of CURE
realized that changes in these crime producing situations could best be
achieved by directing public policies and programs toward meeting the
educational, health, and human needs of all citizens, reserving incarceration
only for those who pose a serious threat to themselves or to others.
To
more effectively educate and work with state policy makers, in 1974 the
Sullivans took CURE to the Texas capitol, Austin. CURE registered with the
Office of the Secretary of State as a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization with a
constitution and a board of directors. The Sullivans served as CURE'S Executive
Director and Administrator. In addition to the CURE state office, local
chapters were organized in most of the major cities in Texas San Antonio,
Austin, Waco, Dallas, Fort Worth, and Houston. Later on, 2 issues chapters were
organized - HOPE (He1p Our Prisoners Exist, deals with death penalty issues)
and FLAT (Families Lobbying Against Time, working with issues of sentencing
inequities).
A significant portion of CURE members are prisoners and their
families and friends. However, many other CURE members are citizens with no
personal connection to a prisoner, but who are concerned about the ever-increasing
crime and violence in our society and want to work for effective and positive
solutions. Also, many criminal justice professionals and public officials are
CURE members or supporters and consult with CURE in the course of their work.
1972-1985
During this period the Sullivans were the full-time staff
of CURE. CURE was financed by memberships and donations, supplemented by
in-kind donations (e.g., photocopying, long distance telephone service,
supplies). At the beginning, the Sullivan's home also served as the CURE
office. Later on, downtown office space was obtained for CURE. Charlie
sometimes taught college classes to help support himself and Pauline.
The Sullivans staffed the
office, organized chapters, and studied, followed, and analyzed criminal
justice issues. They planned and coordinated state and chapter activities such
as the annual convention and the successful effort in Starr County to prevent
the expansion of tile prison system into that area. They also answered massive
amounts of weekly correspondence.
They prepared information for distribution to policy makers and
the public. During legislative sessions, both the Sullivans put in well over 40
hours each week in order to track bills, attend hearings, analyze reports,
compile information, and generally do whatever necessary to assure that state
legislators received full and accurate information on the effects of proposed
legislation. The Sullivans were
frequently called upon to testify at legislative hearings. Through the
Sullivans, CURE'S impact on criminal justice issues was both significant and
positive.
In 1985, the Sullivans decided to take CURE nationwide. They moved
to Washington D.C. and began National CURE. In addition to the pursuit of
national criminal justice issues, the National CURE office has successfully
worked for CURE'S expansion and at present there are CURE chapters in about 30
other states.
1986-1992
CURE in Texas continued with volunteer staff. First with Minnie
Loera who
worked out of her home in San Antonio and then with Wally Ellinger
who his home in Austin. As retirees, both Volunteer executive directors were
able to work full-time for CURE. Both worked hard at trying to do what 2 people
working overtime had done. After Wally's retirement in mid-1992, Linda Marin
was installed as executive director. At that time, she was a full-time state
employee and so was only able to do CURE work within the confines of her paid
employment. Dorothy Hightower has acted as CURE'S Education Director during
several legislative sessions - as an unpaid volunteer, expending her own
financial resources on travel, photocopying, and other items in the course of
advancing CURE'S legislative goals with minimal reimbursement. Other volunteers
have contributed their time, their expertise, and their energies for CURE work.
Dependence upon the Sullivans had left behind a statewide board of
directors unavailable to assist with the day-to-day running of an office, and
unskilled in support, fundraising, and decision-making processes. Resources,
which had been available to the Sullivans, were not available to CURE without
them. There were no longer sufficient financial resources to support an office.
CURE'S presence in the Texas criminal justice arena was maintained but not at
the same level as with the Sullivans.
1993-Present
The board of directors has recognized the need for the
re-organization and revitalization of CURE. Toward this, the board embarked on
a yearlong period of training, increased participation, and planning. Board
members have attended workshops to educate
themselves in necessary organizational and fundraising skills and
to learn about their responsibilities as board members. Board meetings have
been scheduled from the required 3 per year to every other month. Long and
short term planning of goals is taking place. A proposed budget, anticipating
staff and office space, has been created. Working committees have been formed.
Individual and organizational fundraising efforts have been implemented. A new
constitution, reflective of an organization based upon membership support and
participation, has been written by the board and adopted by the membership.
CURE became TX CURE.
TX CURE has worked for policies and programs that provide for the
needs of all citizens and that will help offenders obtain the skills, support,
and self esteem necessary to a successful life outside of prison - e.g.,
education, employment, maintenance of community ties, a wage for prisoners,
treatment for addictions, mental health counseling, adequate medical care, a
just legal system, fair and equitable sentencing. The complexity of tile legal
system and the brutality of the incarceration system only increase the sense of
injustice, the anger, and the damage these people feel. When they come out of
prison, that anger is unleashed on all of us in the form of crime and violence.
TX CURE also supports victims' issues. TX CURE advocated the Crime Victim's
Compensation fund. TX CURE supports efforts to provide victims with the help
they need to regain their life in their community and heal their wounds. TX
CURE vigorously supports intervention and help for abused/neglected children.
The tax dollars needed to provide healing services for those children are
instead now being invested in prison beds for them later on when they express
their rage and hurt through criminal/violent arts.
Local CURE chapters monitor the activities of their communities.
Local government programs and policies are frequently impacted by state
situations, e.g., local jails are overcrowded because the state system is
overcrowded and cannot accept prisoners awaiting transfer from the local jails.
The use of alternatives to incarceration is often determined at the local level
dependent upon community support. The funding and implementation of services
and treatment programs is often a local matter, requiring that factual
information and community input be a part of the decision making process.
Community support and participation play a significant role in the recognition
of needs and the implementation of programs at the local level.
To grow as an organization and realize its potential as a force in
criminal justice TX CURE needs full-time paid staff to monitor criminal justice
issues, to analyze and cot compile information for dissemination, to coordinate
activities and programs, to maintain the office, be available for public
speaking, and to work with other groups and agencies. Someone must be available to speak and act for TX CURE
during regular working hours, and frequently outside those hours.
TX CURE needs a physical office, with furniture and equipment,
including a computer. With an office, TX CURE would have a central location
from which organization business could be conducted and in which volunteers
could be more effectively and more frequently utilized.
Accessibility to a copier, fax, and ideally a meeting room are
also needed.
TX CURE needs the financial resources to provide for such items as
travel expenses and long- distance telephone service so that local and issue
chapters can be developed and contact maintained with its statewide membership.
With adequate funding, the development and distribution of educational and
informational materials could be expanded. TX CURE would also be able to
conduct workshops/seminars on current issues.
The leadership of TX CURE possesses long-term commitment to the
difficult issues addressed by TX CURE and the determination to work for
positive solutions. Many members of TX CURE'S leadership have been involved
with the organization over many years as well as working with other groups,
sometimes in leadership capacities there also. TX CURE has continued to
maintain its credibility. Several TX CURE leaders have been appointed to serve
on the Governor's Commission on the Role of the Family in Reducing Recidivism.
TX CURE leaders are interviewed and consulted with by both the local and
national media, as well policy makers and criminal justice professionals.
Even with the limitations imposed by not having paid staff or
office, little or no equipment, and inadequate funding, TX CURE has continued
to maintain a strong presence. The quarterly newsletter goes out to 3,500
readers, often being passed on to others. As necessary, special urgent action
letters are sent to alert the membership to issues requiring their immediate
attention. During each legislative session, TX CURE has found the resources and
the people to do research, education, and advocacy. Annual conventions are held
to bring together members from across the state. The membership also
participates during each legislative session in a legislative action program.
After a year of reorganizing, the board of directors is now taking
on the task of revitalizing the local and issue chapters. Potential leadership
will be identified, recruited, trained, and developed to ensure TX CURE'S
growth and continuity. The increased participation by the membership in local
issues will be promoted, with training and leadership provided by the board. TX
CURE also hopes to have the resources to deal with criminal justice issues in a
more probative manner - to plan, develop, and promote policies and programs for
consideration by policy makers.
The Texas prison system is the largest and fastest growing prison
system in the world with the highest rate of recidivism in the world. lf the
policies and programs that effectively reduce crime and violence are to be
promoted, supported, seriously considered and implemented, education and
advocacy supported by factual information must take place both with policy
makers and with the public. There is no other group in Texas such as TX CURE -
a rational voice for effective criminal justice policy, efficient use of tax
dollars, and restorative/rehabilitative programs. TX CURE'S role in that
process has never been more important, or more urgently needed.