Citizens United for Rehabilitation of Errants

1982–1991: In Transition

After testifying and helping to facilitate Ruiz, CURE moved from confrontation to cooperation in encouraging the state to comply with the court order and not to appeal it. In 1983, the Texas Legislature responded by shifting millions of dollars from proposed prison construction to community corrections. The governor was removed from the parole process that not only streamlined the procedure but also led to many more releases.

During the rest of the decade, other state chapters were also established. Forty states now have chapters, and the volunteer leaders are either families of prisoners or former prisoners. Training for these volunteers occur at conferences on leader development that are held every few years. In 1991, CURE established national issue chapters that focus on specific goals such as treatment for sex offenders, reforming the sentences for “lifers,” and bringing together the federal prisoners and their loved ones. Like the state chapters, the leaders of the issue chapters are either former prisoners or families of prisoners.

In August 1985, CURE expanded to a national organization and opened an office in Washington, DC. At the federal level, CURE helped to (1) extend the WIC (Women, Infants and Children) Program to pregnant prisoners, (2) increase the Prison Industry Enhancement (PIE) Program to all states, and (3) create an Office of Correctional Education within the U.S. Department of Education.

1992–2003

In 1994, Congress passed the Violent Crime Control Act, which increased the number of crimes for which capital punishment could be applied, gave millions more dollars to states to build prisons, and discontinued Pell grants for prisoners.

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