James E. West (1876-1948)

Orphaned at age six and afflicted with tuberculosis, James E. West never had much of a childhood. West had to fight for permission to attend school outside of his orphanage—and only if he did his extensive orphanage chores before and after school. Nonetheless, he finished high school in two years, graduating with honors in 1895. By 1901, he’d worked his way through law school and was practicing law in Washington, D.C.

Given those circumstances, it was not surprising West gravitated toward children’s issues. When a young boy stole his car, he declined to press charges, offering instead to represent the boy in court (he got him off on a technicality). This incident led West to lobby successfully for the creation of a juvenile court. He also worked for the Washington Playground Association and the YMCA and prompted President Theodore Roosevelt to convene a White House Conference on Dependent Children in 1909.  Given his background, West became a natural choice to serve as the first Chief Scout Executive. He agreed to take the job for up to six months and stayed on for 32 years.

The James E. West Fellowship Award

A gift to a local council, designated by the donor to the council endowment fund, qualifies for membership as a James E. West fellow.  The gift must be in addition to— and not replace or diminish—the donor’s annual Friends of Scouting support.  A minimum gift of $1000 in cash or marketable securities qualifies for the Bronze level membership. Donors may make cumulative gifts to reach Silver, Gold, and Diamond member levels.  For example, 5 years of giving at the Bronze level would qualify for Silver level membership.  Many individuals and corporations make these gifts either on behalf of someone else—such as in honor of an Eagle Scout, Silver Beaver recipient, a retirement, a special accomplishment, or anniversary—or in memory of a special individual.                                                                                                                                                                                          

1. One of the most disadvantaged groups in California is the group of individuals who have completed a term of incarceration after conviction of felony.  Despite purportedly having “paid their debt to society” these individuals are denied the following opportunities:

1. 1. An employer can legally refuse to hire an individual who was convicted of a felony
   2. A convicted felon cannot vote while on parole or post-release supervision
   3. A convicted felon cannot serve on a jury unless the individual receives a Certificate of Rehabilitation and Pardon (or a pardon from the Governor)
   4. A convicted felon cannot serve in the Armed Forces unless they receive a waiver from the Secretary of Defense
   5. Felons convicted of certain crimes are ineligible to run for public office
   6. A convicted felon may not legally possess a firearm
   7. Felons convicted of certain crime, including drug offenses, may be restricted in their ability to receive federal benefits, including disability, welfare, social security, and veterans’ benefits
   8. Convicted felons may lose their rights to public employee pension and benefits.

1. Recidivism is also an ongoing problem.  The United States has among the highest recidivism rates in the World .  Some studies indicate that California’s recidivism rate has hovered around 50% for the past ten years.  Programs that help offenders re-integrate into society are vital to reducing recidivism.

1. Providing help to ex offenders also has a racial justice component.  In 2017, the year of most recent data, 28.5% of the state’s male prisoners were African American—compared to just 5.6% of the state’s adult male residents. The imprisonment rate for African American men is 4,236 per 100,000 people—ten times the imprisonment rate for white men, which is 422 per 100,000. For Latino men, the imprisonment rate is 1,016 per 100,000; for men of other races it is 314. African American women are also overrepresented. Of the state’s 5,849 female prisoners, 25.9% are African American—only 5.7% of the state’s adult female residents are. African American women are imprisoned at a rate of 171 per 100,000—more than five times the imprisonment rate of white women, which is 30 per 100,000. Imprisonment rates for Latino women and women of other races are 38 and 14 per 100,000, respectively.

1. Other local programs to help ex offenders are very well funded
   1. Delancey Street – annual revenue $50.8 million
   2. Prison Fellowship.org – annual revenue $44.6 million (fiscal year 2019-20) 

1. Why Root & Rebound?
   1. Oakland based organization made up of both attorneys and advocates
   2. Provides a variety of services: employment assistance; direct legal assistance; access to educational opportunities; prison reform advocacy; and direct financial assistance to families.
   3. Much smaller budget – 2019 revenue $2.9 million (individual donations $170,000) (v. $2.5 million expenses).

For more info, see:  https://www.rootandrebound.org/get-support/

1. Larry devoted much of his professional career to adult education, giving people on the lowest rung of society an opportunity to better themselves.  Root & Rebound exists to help people in that same (lower) economic and educational strata.