EDITOR’S NOTE: Sometimes, Evening Sun reporters just like to argue. In this feature, sides are chosen arbitrarily and do not necessarily reflect the views of the writer. This week, Tyler Murphy and Jeff Genung debate whether its possible to rehabilitate criminals.
When one commits a crime and is found guilty, there are two things that need to be considered – the punishment for that individual and then the rehabilitation of that person, so upon his release he can be assimilated as a beneficial contributor to a community. Rehabilitation can be achieved for most of the prison population. The factors guiding the outcome of a reformed criminal are: The severity of his punishment, exposure to influences and efforts made to educate them. Those exceptions to rehabilitation are the mentally disabled and those suffering extraordinary psychological damage (i.e. serial killers and the like). These two exceptions make up a small percentage of our prison population.
If a person is over-punished for a crime or treated cruelly by a system, it is only rational to assume they will reject that system altogether. So upon release they may harbor contempt for law enforcement, the law and the community as a whole. It is important prisoners understand their punishments and the hardships they’ve created for others. It is also important for them to know that our system is morally propelled in hopes of attaining justice and reason. The influences one is exposed to can have a dramatic effect on a person. Often petit criminals exposed to harsh population of harden criminals will come out of prison worse than before. It is our obligation is to ensure that harden criminal influences are minimized. Programs should be introduced to create stable social climates. Also work details and other activities design to distract and educate prisoners should be employed. It is vital that no other prisoners, no matter their fame, wealth or power should be allowed to excerpt any kind of pressure or privileged on another inmate. Lastly we need to prepare prisoners for their exodus. Programs that offer monetary aid and technical training will help an inmate acquire a stable job upon leaving. The process of assimilation is difficult and all steps to make it easier on an inmate should be taken. We will benefit more from a reformed inmate than sending 10 repeat criminals back to jail. – TDM
You proceed from a false assumption, my young apprentice. Crime – being a criminal – is a choice, not an affliction. Those who wantonly choose to ignore and desecrate the rules of society are doomed to suffer the consequences – removal from that society. Prisons aren’t meant to be reform schools. Jailbirds don’t hate cops because they’ve had a rough time in the pen; they hate cops because they got caught doing something bad. I for one resent any penny of my tax dollar going toward cable television or barbells for inmates, much less hand-holding social programs that only serve to teach these ingrates more ways to take advantage of the system once they get out. If jail time isn’t the most unpleasant experience one can imagine, why sentence incarceration at all? – JMG
