Bouncing the bad check problem
This is the third in a series of articles written by
George E. May, an inmate at the Nebraska Penal and
Correctional Complex. Today, he writes about the
Checks Anonymous program at the prison.
by George E. May
Number 27571
The loudspeaker in the prison yard blared,
"Attention! Attention in the yard! Checks
Anonymous will meet in the R.D.C. Unit, now!" This
is Wednesday afternoon-a special day for the 50-odd
members of a unique organization.
"...Checks Anonymous is
a group banded together
to help one another...with
rehabilitation, restitution
and recovery. "
The Society of Checks Anonymous is a group
banded together to help one another. Members help
each other with rehabilitation, restitution and
recovery. This is done to fulfill our responsibilities to
society and promote honesty, decency and integrity
by amending the errors we have committed.
Checks Anonymous was founded at the state Penal
Complex in 1963. It has served more than 1,000
members since its inception and has been imitated at
several other institutions in this country.
The group was conceived by a former associate
warden who saw the need for such a group. He
realized the need through his personal experiences of
writing bad checks and was willing to admit he had a
problem.
Patterned after Alcoholics Anonymous, the
purpose of the group was the application of the mutal
help principal and the elimination of pending check
charges against inmate members. The group's activity
has been startling. With a total membership of more
than 900 during the first eight years of operation 537
had detainers lodged against them.
A detainer is the legal document filed against an
inmate for an alleged crime other than the one for
which he is imprisoned. It is a tool often times used
to thwart the rehabilitative process and, in theory, it
works like this:
A man or woman could cash 10 insufficient fund
checks in 10 different counties or states and then be
extradited from one county or state to another until
he completed a prison sentence for each bad check.
Sound like doing life on the installment plan? It is!
And I can attest to it's workability.
Of the 537 detainers filed against Checks
Anonymous members, several hundred were
dismissed and more than $6,100 in restitution was
paid to badcheck victims. This is a sizable amount
when you consider the average 35 cents a day in
wages an inmate receives and the 75 cents per month
he pays in membership dues to perpetuate this
restitution fund,
As the basic philosophy of the organization
expanded, it became apparent that the mere
elimination of pending check charges did nothing to
reform the offender or to reduce the incidence of bad
checks. Consequently, Checks Anonymous began
external education programs designed to correct these
inadequacies.
The first program outside the institution involved
a plan possible only with the help of Nebraska county
attorneys. Two volunteered, and it went into
operation. The county attorney, upon receiving a bad
check complaint, would contact Checks Anonymous
and allow 10 days to get in touch with the offending
party. One Checks Anonymous member would
immediately write a letter to the violator explaining
the pitfalls of a "paper-hanger," as the bad check
writer is known in prison jargon.
The letters hopefully scare the offender, and,
although it is difficult to accumulate objective
statistics about crime prevention, we know that
none of the 168 persons corresponded with went to
prison.
Because of the results of "Operation Letter X," we
then endeavored to reach every Nebraska town via an
awareness campaign dubbed "Project C.A.S.H.,"
Checks Anonymous Supplies Help.
In form and substance this is a bad check
prevention packet-but also it is more. It is an all-out
effort by a group of inmates to keep people out of
prison. It is an effort to stop the potential offender
and to reform the guy who has "been there and
back." We are not trying to play police officer or get
anyone "busted" for writing bad checks. We are
trying to scare the potential offender and feel the
Checks Anonymous packet will help.
It contains a warning poster, testimonials,
discussions on check cashing policies, statistical
information and other prevention aids. Also included
is a "Three-Two" policy, designed to rapidly
determine if the check might be bad, and a pledge
card, a humorous wallet-sized card to remind one of
the grave consequences of writing bad checks. To
date, we have distributed more than 5,000 packets.
If a "picture is worth a thousand words," as the
saying goes, a personal confrontation between the
professional check-taker should be worth a lot more.
With this in mind, we started our Check-Cashing
Symposium for Nebraska merchants and bankers.
"...we hope to induce a
ripple that will cause a
tidal wave and put
ourselves out of business
forever."
JJ jJH JJ jy -JaLJLLJUUjJ.
Centennial Education Program
(Known to some as the Centennial College)
is now taking applications
from upperclassmen
for the 1973-74 year
If you are interested in:
innovative, self-directed study
individual or group study projects
courses that you develop to satisfy humanities,
social science, science and possible major
requirements as well as electives
frequent academic and social contact with
faculty
combining a living community with a learning
environment
and pursuing a project on anything from the Wild West to
Dante's Inferno with:
Gene Harding, Associate Professor, Journalism
and Secondary Education
June Levine, Associate Professor, English
William Wallis, Assistant Professor, English
Sky Houser, Instructor, History
Jacqueline Voss, Assistant Professor, Family
Development
John Davidson, Professor of Botany
Wallace Rudolph, Professor of Law
Lis Lewis, Graduate Assistant, Speech and
Dramatic Art.
'lease contact dene Harding or Mrs. Sally (lordon,
administrative assistant, for details and a brochure.
Or come lor a visit'
Centennial fulucational 'nigrum
S U) S. If, Hi St.
Women's Residence Hall Complex
The symposium is composed of check writers
ranging from the accidental firct offender to the
sophisticated professional. They discuss check cashing
policies, methods used by check offenders, ease in
which most types of identification can be obtained,
the stereotype criminal and other information helpful
in determining whether the merchant should cash a
check. Also covered are different ruses used in setting
up bank accounts and "kiting" checks. A 16mm film,
"The Paper-Hanger," is generally shown to stimulate
discussion and to stress the seriousness of
lackadaisical policies.
The most productive part of the program is the
question period when the panelist generally bares his
soul. The questions run the gamut-"are there any
definite characteristics to look for in a bad check
passer?" (Yes!), or, "Is there any prevention aid that
we might employ to scare the potential offender
away?" (Also yes- a new development called
identiseal! It is novel because it will allow the
fingerprinting of a person cashing a check with no
mess and yet leave an impression on the check itself.
It's deterrent value is doubled because of the
conspicuous way which the Identiseal poster is
displayed at check cashing facilities. Checks
Anonymous was immensely impressed with this
weapon and a vote of the membership present at one
meeting didn't turn up one member who would
attempt to cash a check at places using Identiseal.
I would be remiss if I did not mention our
proudest accomplishment-reducing the rate of
recidivism among Checks Anonymous members. The
word recidivism means literally, "falling back into
prior criminal habits," or returning to prison on
another conviction.
The nationwide lecoid is appalling-more than 50
per cent ot all men released after serving one sentence
return to prison again. We are proud that active
members of our group have a recidivism rate of less
than 1 5 per cent.
Our C.A.S.H. packets and symposiums are not a
panacea for the ills of badcheck cashing that costs
Americans more than $4 billion annually. But we
hope to induce a ripple that will cause a tid.i!
wave and put ourselves out of business foievei.
Interviews for
Nebraska Union Planning Committee
responsible for planning most Union facility
changes including the new East Union &
Renovation of City Union
Sunday April 29, 1973 1 : 00 p.m.
In the Nebraska Union
(check Daily Calendar for room number)
Sign up in Suite 220 Nebraska Union
by Friday April 27 5:00 p.m.
Sponsored by Nebraska Union Board
fridjy, upril 27, 1973
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