by KCWriteWinger

Created on: September 03, 2009   Last Updated: September 05, 2009

There is an old saying that says "If you can't do the time, don't do the crime", and many people have not heeded those words of wisdom, and have gone out and committed crimes anyway. Many show little or no remorse for their actions, because doing evil has become second nature to them, so they don't give a crap. So why should we have to pay to educated them, and pay for their satellite TV?

You may argue that we should treat them with respect because they might be rehabilitated, but tell me how many criminals go right back out on the street and re-commit violent crimes again? The FBI reports that 18,000 people were murdered in 1997, and that most murders involve multiple offenders. The re-offender rates are too high in this country, there is not enough of a deterrent in place to help stop criminals from re-offending.

Government programs are in place, but they don't always work all that well, sometimes they do succeed, but not all that often. Poverty often plays a big part in why people choose to commit crimes, and violent crimes as well. Often times they just don't know any better because they have not been taught to respect others, or they get involved in gangs, and end up become violent career criminals.

I believe that the private sector, and religious organizations do a much better job at rehabilitating young criminals than do the government programs. The point is that secular programs have a very high failure rate because they can not transform the person from within, they can only try to redirect the person externally.

Prison Fellowship has worked with many convicts behind bars over the years, Their program called Inner Change Free Initiative, is a re-entry program that is helping prisoners get out, and stay out of prison. One way they do that is to work with them on their anger issues, also helping them respect the law, and the rights of others, and they have seen lives transformed by God. Another program that Prison Fellowship has is called Operation Starting Line. This program is all about seeing lives transformed by the Gospel of Christ. Upon receiving Christ as their Lord and Savior, they are discipled, and grounded in the faith. Only God can change a man on the inside, and change his whole way of living, thinking, and his behavior.

You want to know how we should treat criminals?

Either make prison life so hard that they never want to go back, put them to death, or let prison fellowship offer them a chance to experience a changed and transformed life. The government programs can never do for a person what God can!

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