Can Prisoners Be REFORMED? - Is the Solution Part of the PROBLEM?

"Demeaning and demoralizing prisoners is the worst way to prepare them for the world outside." -AN EDITORIAL IN THE ATLANTA CONSTITUTION. 


IN MANY cases prisons simply act as a restraint-and a temporary one at that. When a prisoner is released, has he really paid for his crime?  What about the victims or their loved ones?  "I am the mother of a murdered child," pleaded Rita when the convicted killer of her 16-year-old son was released after serving only a three year sentence . "Please stop for a moment. Think. Can you begin to imagine what this means?"  As Rita's case illustrates, tragedy often lingers long after the business and the headlines have faded. 

This issue is of concern not only to those whose lives have been touched by crime but also to everyone else. After all, whether released prisoners  have been rehabilitated or simply hardened by their experience behind bars has a direct bearing on your peace of mind if not on your safety.  

Next time: Can Prisoners Be REFORMED? - Is the Solution Part of the PROBLEM?/Schools for Criminals

From the Awake! magazine