by Cj Mitchell

Created on: April 12, 2009   Last Updated: April 13, 2009

A Waste Of Time

Everyone wants to hear that people who go to prison are paying for their crimes, and being rehabilitated. The suggestion of rehabilitation within the prison system is in reality, meant only to appease society. Surely they must be doing something useful in prison, and learning things which will change their criminal behavior? But it's not as easy as teaching a class, or a skill, or putting them in therapy, and telling them to stop.

The truth is while most prisons offer some sort of educational and job training opportunities, they fall short of providing an adequate foundation. Life skills, reintegration, and job placement are vital, as well as a need for housing when not otherwise available. If we want more productive individuals to come out of prison, then we need to care about the reasons why this is not happening.
Recidivism rates are at an all time high, and yet prisons remain under funded, under staffed, and over crowded due to a tragic shortage of resources, which have been chronically ignored for too long. In some circumstances, inmates are being released to the streets from solitary, having endured a lack of social interaction, proper mental health care, or any kind of preparation for surviving outside. These individuals have a predominate inability to adjust, and resort to what they know best, criminal behavior.
If rehabilitation is the point of prison, then why isn't it being made, "The Point!" Just talking about it or ignoring it will not fix or change the alarming trend underway in this country. However, It seems easy for people who don't understand the risk and reality of the prison setting. The world as a whole needs to care, and take action to provide funding for prison programs and staffing. Prison officials and inmates alike need to be given the way and means to truly accomplish the goal. If there is any chance of rehabilitation to take place things have to change. If we want worthwhile contributing members of society to emerge from the intensity of prison life, we must support legislation allowing this to happen.
As for the present moment, until we grow weary of the revolving doors used by repeat offenders, it will only persist to spiral out of control. We will continue to accomplish nothing but the enforcement of habitual failure. And we will continue to suffer the consequences of criminals going to prison, only to become better criminals. After all, they have nothing but time.

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