by Empress Djata

Created on: July 12, 2009   Last Updated: July 14, 2009

At the conclusion of 2005, expenditures for the corrections department reached well over sixty-seven million dollars according to the 2008 Bureau of Justice Statistics. Minimal efforts are placed on helping to rehabilitate criminals, in order to prevent them from committing crimes all together and truly making them a productive part of society. Rather than just shipping them off to jail to warehouse storage units, which becomes little more then a school of criminology for first time offenders, state officials ought to develop true solutions. Our taxpayer funds could be better used to service our country and its citizens.

In their previous report about 2005, the United States incarcerated in excess of two million individuals. There are some methods currently improving the reduction of repeat offenders in the United States, such as Juvenal Spark programs. However, over a decade ago there was a news report about China re-educating and training many of their first offence prisoners of all ages. Their program involved enlisting those convicted of non-violent crimes into their military. Considering the United States stays in conflicts all over the globe this would be a wonderful way to increase our army forces, while retraining, rather than writing off these individuals.

Changing these types of prisoner's outlook of rejoining the community and how they can impact their own success in staying free from incarceration, while giving them employment is better for our country. Creating accountability should be the primary goal of rehabilitation. Their freedom would be contingent on following the program designed for their rehabilitation.

Survival means successfully integrating them back into the community, finding adequate housing and financial stability are the first steps in this process. Prisoners may have anxieties, stress or other issues such as victimization, which need to be addressed. Untreated issues could cause a prisoner to revert back to a life of crime, thus leading to re-incarceration. Providing counseling could help to minimize or prevent such issues from occurring.

A private organization is another available option to pursue. The organization could receive a tax break for employing these prisoners. They would also have to receive counseling and report to a parole officer weekly for an assessment. In shaping this program, creating a direct connection with local employers to hire prisoners upon completion of a six month on the job certification program

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