Bitcoin helps former prisoners – Bitcoin Magazine
Ubaydah Baa’ith is one of thousands of previously imprisoned Americans who found greater economic security thanks to bitcoin, since employment, banking and housing discrimination against returned citizens is widespread throughout the United States.
“I come from generational imprisonment. My grandmother and uncle took time, here I am years later with armed robbery, “said Baa’ith. “I learned about bitcoin when I was in a halfway house in 2018.”
When Baa’ith entered the halfway house, he met Clovia Lawrence, co-founder of Project Give Back To Community, and immediately became involved in educational programs that focus on low-income colored communities. Some studies estimate that more than half of African Americans have had a family member imprisoned at some point, which has a significant impact on housing availability and food security. Former inmates are far less likely to receive loans or job offers, and the difference is even greater among blacks and Latinos.
“It is common for people to come out [of prison] to face homelessness. Their family members may have died or not have a place for them, Baa’ith said. “There can be no bitcoin without beds. First and foremost, we need to get someone out of prison food and shelter. Now I am the project manager with Project Back To Community. We have 35 people at a time and have helped hundreds of people through seven home again.”
Overall, Project Give Back To Community is a non-profit organization that focuses on helping prisoners and returnees in Virginia become a positive force in their communities, rather than feeling excluded. As a project manager, Baa’ith takes care of the handsome operations that help bring these programs to life, tasks such as planning meetings and leading group sessions.
They then explore how they can bring more educational programs into prisons as well. However, that process is slow and bureaucratic.
Although it is difficult to convince prison operators to let civilians in to teach convicts about bitcoin, a resource that already has some reputation problems, Baa’ith believes it is crucial to solving the country’s unsustainable prison problem.
“The most important thing people are imprisoned for is money-related problems, such as robbery, and habits learned from generational problems of poverty. So we use bitcoin to change the narrative,” he said.
He added that giving both inmates and returnees something to look forward to, such as saving bitcoin for generational wealth, could radically change their perspectives for the better.
“We’re talking about staying out of jail for life and keeping your bitcoin,” Lawrence said, agreeing with Baa’ith. “We want you to sit back, redirect your skills and think holistically about using that skill set for the best. We call it Beta to Bitcoin, 101.”
Breaking a cycle of poverty
Hundreds of thousands of Americans are released from prison each year, but more than 50% of released prisoners are remanded in custody. It is clear that when it comes to relapses, system problems come into play. For just one example, more than 37% of prisoners have been diagnosed with mental illness, but few of them receive any form of mental health treatment or services while behind bars.
Alex Andrews, a former imprisoned sex worker who is now CEO of the non-profit organization SWOP Behind Bars, said that health costs could further paralyze inmates during imprisonment.
“Some prisons and jails require a daily fee so that your account can be deleted quickly. They charge you for health insurance and medication. You can actually end up in debt when you leave, Andrews said. “People’s civil rights have been taken away, so they can not influence elections and vote for people who can make them better. In some states, they automatically restore your voting rights when you are released, but that is not the norm. ”
Andrews lost the ability to vote in 1993, after being jailed for prostitution, and was only able to regain her full voting right in 2017. That was the same year she also learned about bitcoin.
“The trend of denying sex workers bank access is still very bad,” Andrews said, adding that this is part of the reason why her nonprofit organization accepts bitcoin donations. “Around 300 people have donated with bitcoin so far, since we started accepting bitcoin in 2021.”
It is no wonder why so many imprisoned people are trapped in a cycle of poverty. Behind the walls, they can be forced to work for just $ 1.15 an hour, even when working for private companies like Victoria’s Secret. So, when they finally get out, most employers avoid hiring employees with crime. This is often attributed to personal failures rather than systematic failures, despite evidence from Norwegian relapse studies that intentional programs to help prisoners reintegrate back into society can have a significant impact.
Lack of bank access was one of the reasons why the sex worker who passes by @btcsexworkers is so bullish about bitcoin. It’s been several years since she spent 48 days in a Los Angeles County jail because her ex-husband sold a joint she had given him to an undercover cop. Nevertheless, she still has banking problems related to the incident.
“My bank recently restricted my transactions because I was considered ‘high risk,'” she said. “Bitcoin is useful because they can not just go in and take your money. Sometimes they will go into the inmate’s bank accounts and decide that this money is mine and you can not do anything when you are in custody, because they charge you all. these fines for basic necessities when you are in custody, like soap. ”
Btcsexworkers added that it is even more difficult for sex workers who have been arrested to get jobs and banking services, compared to other prison populations.
“No vanilla job wants to work with you. “Many of the organizations that help ex-cons will not touch your case if you were a sex worker,” she said. “The prison industry complex is just a new form of slavery. In prison, versus prison, you can get a job, but they pay you a penny and you do not have full control over even this income … Having a hardware wallet [on the outside] is such a good investment in yourself and your security. No one can take it from you. “
From bars to bitcoin
Prisoners’ rights are not a niche issue. It affects more than two million people in the United States alone. Organizations such as Human Rights Watch regard the treatment of many such prisoners as an alarming humanitarian crisis. That’s why Bitcoin educator Justin Rhedrick, author of “From Bars To Bitcoin,” is currently talking to various local probation departments to see what can be done to alleviate this humanitarian crisis.
“My ultimate goal is to open a lid for people so they can see that there is hope for them when they come home from prison,” Rhedrick said. “I want to teach them about what money is and about bitcoin and create ways for them to be trained when they come out [in] skills related to bitcoin. “
Rhedrick is one of the thousands of returning citizens who used cryptocurrency to promote social justice in the United States. After being convicted of armed robbery, Rhedrick realized he had to turn his life around. Before serving his sentence, Rhedrick had already experienced homelessness with his mother and seen a friend being murdered. Violence and financial desperation were devils he knew well.
So, when he came out in 2014, Rhedrick struggled to get decent paid work. He cobbled gigs for manual labor, but barely managed to get rent.
“I read and studied a lot in prison. The only way to go up is to go through it, Rhedrick said. “When I first came out, I lived from month to month, so I could not afford a full bitcoin. But I knew it would be valuable to gain knowledge about bitcoin.
Fortunately, bitcoin enabled him to be his own bank when he started a teaching and consulting business, then he eventually wrote and published his own memoirs.
“My main income today is my business, selling my courses and my book,” said Rhedrick, adding that he has sold hundreds of books since publishing his memoirs in 2021. “If you have 600,000 people coming out of prison each years, they need to get a job or start their own business. If the world is not going to hire you, bitcoin offers opportunities for you to work. ”
All of these personal stories from returning citizens, from California to Texas, Florida and Virginia, highlight how bitcoin has become a useful tool in alleviating a nationwide human rights crisis.
“I know a lot of people who have come home from prison who found bitcoin,” Rhedrick said. – I think the possibilities are endless.
This is a guest post by Leigh Cuen. Expressed opinions are entirely their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of BTC Inc or Bitcoin Magazine.
