PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Mother. Father. Friend. Coworker. Roommate. Inmate. Felon.
How you describe someone can impact their lives greatly. That's what advocates of formerly incarcerated people say.
There’s a renewed push to eliminate using words that refer to formerly incarcerated individuals with a harsh connotation. The movement to refer to them in a positive light has been on the city’s books since 2013, but it has taken the public and the media a long time to catch on.
Former Mayor Michael Nutter issued an executive order in 2013 saying all city documents would now use the phrase “returning citizen” to refer to people who were incarcerated. Eight years later, words like “inmate” and “ex-con” are still commonly used.
Maurice Jones, who was formerly incarcerated, oversees PAR-Recycle Works, a nonprofit that employs returning citizens.
“Think of the worst thing you’ve ever done — professional, personal, whatever. Would you want to be identified as that forever?” he asked. “I truly, strongly doubt it. And when we can make it personal in that way, that's wherein, the things will change.”
He said adversely charged language can prevent people from making real change in their lives.
“People are going to continue to identify themselves as such and not change,” he said. “We want people to change. We want people to change themselves and we want to assist people as we go forward.”
Rev. Michelle Simmons is also formerly incarcerated. She founded Why Not Prosper to serve as an advocate for formerly incarcerated women. However, she’s not a fan of the phrase “returning citizen.”
“We’re not considered citizens, in some aspects,” she explained. “So I got my biases about it. Sometimes I’ll say it because it’s the new thing on the block, but I like ‘formerly incarcerated’ and ‘convicted people.’ I feel like that fits who we are a little bit better.”
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Lori Pompa, founder and executive director of the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program — an educational course that brings together college students and incarcerated students in a correctional setting — said labeling people only limits them.
“A phrase that I really like a lot is ‘justice-involved,’ ” she said. “There doesn’t seem to be as much of a charge to that or set of assumptions that go with that.”
Pompa said media play a huge role in these connotations.
“When we think about where we have gotten the images of people who are incarcerated, if I had never set within the prison, then those images come from what I’ve seen or heard through the media,” she said.
“Terms like ‘ex-felon or ‘ex-offender’ are far more prevalent than we wish that they were,” added Aviva Tevah, deputy director of the Philadelphia Office of Reentry Partnerships. “That’s a large part of the work that we need to do … communicating about why language is important.”
As for what words are best, she said that’s up to each individual and what journey they are on.
“I don’t think there’s a right answer. I think it depends on the context and how specific you’re trying to be or how inclusive. With all that said though, I think every person who is formerly incarcerated has the right to use whatever language they’re comfortable with,” she said.