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I agree with this statement and unfortunately society, in general, is responsible for it. The purpose of having a criminal justice was not only to punish those who break the law but to reform them as well. Although there are serious problems with the corrections system, most of offenders benefit from the system in the form of education or skills. Some offenders may even earn a degree while in prison but as soon as they are release they are labeled as ex-convicts, sex offenders, criminals which limit their opportunities to succeed.

This type of behavior in the field of Criminal Justice is explained with the Labeling Theory. According to this theory people treat each other in the basis of what they represent towards the other. One example is the one conducted with two school teachers and a group of students. The group consisted of average students whom were divided into two subgroups and placed with the two teachers. One teacher was told that their group was full of above the average students and the other teacher was told that her class was full of below average students. After the experiment, the students labeled as above average students had higher scores than those students labeled as below the average.

The teacher treated their students according to their label. This is why once society labels a person as an ex- convict, or sex offender, that person will never feel again as part of society. This in turn can lead them to withdraw, retaliate, or fulfill his label. One example is the prohibition in many states to allow ex-convicts to vote. Even after serving their sentences society in those states still keep them from letting their voices heard. If they had been allowed in Florida during the 2000 presidential election, most likely Bush would have lost the race.

Sex offenders are required to notify authorities and whoever else requires it when moving. Sex offenders are perhaps the more discriminated against. I had a friend who was dating a 17 year old girl who got him the label of sex offender. They dated for a while and finally he decided to break up with her for being extremely possessive. The girl did not appreciate this and pressed charges for engaging in under age sex and as consequence my friend had to spend a year in prison. True that his act was wrong and true that he should not have dated minors but after his time served he should have been done with the issue.

He now is labeled as a sex offender and has to abide to its rules for the rest of his life. Most people would probably say, "Well, that's what they deserve" or "his punishment was not hard enough" etc. That kind of reasoning is the result of the incompetence in the criminal justice system or/and the corrections system. Society should not take their frustration on former convicts. They complied with the system, completed their sentence, and in return we (society) promised them reintegration but instead we made them second class citizens.

They are second class citizens because they are not chosen equally when competing in job applications. They are second class citizens when we tell them they are not allowed to vote even after completing their sentence. They are second class citizens when we tell them where to live, drive, or simply be at. How they respond? They respond with more deviant behavior and because it is not in our best interest, I encourage anyone to stop this cycle. If someone has a problem with the system, take it to public officials and not onto former convicts. After all, they already did their time.

Learn more about this author, Enoc Flores.
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