| As in nearly all things, America has been of two | | | | tests. Poor readers are non readers and have a |
| minds concerning the rehabilitation of criminals. One | | | | lifetime social handicap until they want to read well. |
| camp believes the more severe and lengthy the | | | | Probations should continue until literacy is achieved. |
| punishment, the less opportunity a criminal will | | | | Once a person can read well and wants to do so, |
| have to re offend. Lock them up and throw | | | | they can learn anything else they so choose. This |
| away the key. Statistics prove this camp wrong | | | | opens a world of options previously denied. |
| and alternatives are far from their concern. They | | | | Lives of total dependency in cages help no one. |
| are the law and order people who have a strong | | | | Not keepers, the prisoners or the society trying |
| appeal to a society that fearfully sees itself as | | | | to protect itself. To treat a person as though |
| victims. | | | | they will never have an opportunity for revenge |
| The other camp wants to rehabilitate criminals but | | | | and then releasing them with hearts full of fear, |
| can seldom raise the needed economic support to | | | | resentment, anger and rage, guarantees that |
| initiate and evaluate rehabilitation programs. These | | | | society will pay a price for the way they treat |
| are folks who know that no life is beyond | | | | people who were most often fellow victims, long |
| redemption or incapable of productive work. | | | | before they turned to crime. |
| Rehabilitation has failed so often because it rests | | | | In Orwellian double speak, society talks of caging |
| on the idea of stripping every right from a | | | | people as criminals paying a debt to society. The |
| person, throwing them in a cage, isolating them | | | | fact is the reverse. Society is creating a debt to |
| from the larger society and destroying any sense | | | | the offender, turning a marginal life into a hopeless |
| of personal identity or value. Treating people | | | | and useless life. Society is restricting a person |
| worse than animals is not conducive to self | | | | from any opportunity to contribute to the society |
| improvement. Rehabilitation must begin by not | | | | he or she offended; allowing no opportunity to |
| caging non violent offenders. House arrest, victim | | | | support a family for which they may be |
| restitution, fines, counseling and work habilitation | | | | responsible; innocent victims of terrible, |
| will prove much less expensive to society than | | | | thoughtless social policy. |
| caging and produce a better outcome. | | | | Society has so long applied this cruel punishment |
| Anti social behavior grows out of confusion and | | | | that its debt to the criminal element cannot be |
| misidentification. That is, anti social people believe | | | | paid. Just like the debts owed Native Americans |
| they are someone different than who they are at | | | | and the descendents of African slaves. We can |
| their core. They are books judged by their | | | | go ahead and live our lives as though no debt |
| covers; judged by people only interested in | | | | existed and we do. America will pay in blood, |
| covers. They come to believe and behave as | | | | terror and plague - death and destruction. It is a |
| though they are the covers others have created | | | | sad thing we have so chosen. Divine justice does |
| for them. They are the products of other | | | | not allow for life in cages or a few living well from |
| people's expectations and imaginations as so | | | | the misery of many. |
| many of us are. Unfortunately, the expectations | | | | The rehabilitation of social offenders will not |
| of many role models were low and easy to fulfill. | | | | prevent the judgment of a dispassionate, |
| Let society help the victims of low expectations | | | | unrepentant people, long past due. It could create |
| to distinguish between who they are and who | | | | pockets of mercy within that judgment. Perhaps |
| they have been told they are. This explains their | | | | you and I will know a little of that mercy. Perhaps |
| confusion to them and alleviates it. Clearing this | | | | you and I will make some effort to end a social |
| confusion makes good candidates for rehabilitation. | | | | injustice that is worldwide and centuries old. |
| Rehabilitation begins by helping an offender find | | | | Perhaps you and I will no longer ignore the |
| their true identity. The tools trained counselors | | | | problems some are paid to hide from us. Perhaps |
| now have at their disposal for this identification | | | | we actually do know right from wrong. Perhaps |
| process are readily available: aptitude and IQ | | | | knowing the difference, we will choose what is |
| tests; personality and character tests; astrological | | | | right. Perhaps but no one is betting on it. |
| and numerological charts and reports; literacy | | | | |