That is why I believe when it comes to the misdemeanor crimes and below you can rehabilitate and send an ex-convict back into society. I wouldn't say felony because to commit murder, rape or kidnapping you have to have some severe issues. Now I think when it comes to crimes like drug use, assault or something lesser you have a better chance at being able to be rehabilitated and sent back out into society. Maybe even be successful, because there are many success stories out of ex-convicts.
70% of criminals come from broken homes. I am talking about parents that mentally, sexually, and/or physically abuse their kids. That is a key component on why people become criminals. In looking at their childhood you can see how these influences shape people into future criminals. The crimes they will commit to try to make up for that lack of a good childhood. An example of a type of crime could be something as small as stealing. But to the criminal it shows they are superior over the authorities because they could get away with it and are smarter than the police. Now one reason why they would commit a crime to be superior is because they felt inferior as a child. Later on in life they try to make up for that feeling by committing a crime to feel superior or smarter than someone else. From a dysfunctional childhood can also stem a child that is looking for a place of belonging and comfort. That is why we see gangs and many troubled kids joining them. Then what happens after that is they end up in the wrong place at the wrong time. Next thing you know they are doing 25 to life for something they might not have even done. Another bad side effect of a bad childhood is the criminal becomes reliant on drugs to numb the pain away. That will ultimately lead to an addiction to drugs. Even though it is used as a coping mechanism to deal with things they do not understand and want to forget.
How effective rehabilitation is and is their enough of it? This is a highly debated topic right now in the United States. There are many types of rehabilitation programs. Some examples are drug treatment, boot camp, prison education, and faith based programs. Rehabilitation has been researched and reviewed by many people. What I have found is that rehab is effective as long as they put convicts in the right programs to help them succeed. The problem is not only do we not have enough but not every one of the rehabilitation programs is good enough to be effective right now . Unfortunately that is happening because a lack of resources and funds to support the curriculum's in these programs. It is possible to have enough of these programs in the future with state or grant funding. But we all know that it might not be a pressing issue. With many other issues dominating states debates about how to spend money, rehabilitation might not be at the top of the list. Even though, economically it might make sense to invest in more rehabilitation. A retired New Jersey judge Barnett Hoffman, who came up with the only licensed drug treatment program in new jersey said, “it’s incredibly expensive to lock someone up” also "One size does not fit all," "Everybody who's in there is coming out, so we have to do something to try to figure out a way they don't go back in after they come out." Said Hoffman. If you look at the statistics you will see treating some criminals is cheaper than locking them up. Cutting the number of inmates who return to prison by 10 percent would save states $635 million a year. Drug treatment and general education degree programs -- plus help transitioning back into society -- have cut recidivism rates up to 32 percent in states like Oregon, Kansas and Utah. I think it was said best by Adam Gelb of the Pew Center, when he sated "There are less expensive strategies that improve public safety,".
It takes a lot to break the criminal cycle and re-enter society. You need to change your attitude and behavior. You need to overcome rejection and learn new skills. These are huge obstacles for an ex-con. It is like hitting the reset button once you get back on the street. You need food, water, shelter, money. Having all of your right paperwork to get these things done. What about their family. How do they rebuild their relationships? They have to overcome many personal issues. They need to find a job. That means having skills someone wants and they need to take a big change on you given your history. After they find that job the most important thing is keeping that job. Also keeping up your education and training is huge to possible help you make more money so you do not have to live day by day. It takes all of these steps to reenter society and break the cycle of going back to prison. No one can understand the pain of a criminal and being incarcerated. The pain can last a lifetime and it involves rehabilitation. Even though when you look at it these seem like long odds for an ex-con but in a recent study in 2011 shows that out of all the convicts released, 40% will end up back in prison. That means the other 60% have a chance to break the cycle and stay out of prison.
The goal of my project is to have people think is it possible for a criminal through rehabilitation to be able to re-enter society. I wanted to show people where these criminals started in terms of their childhood. That will help me explain why they committed the crimes they committed. Finally I hope to show people that I know there are some criminals that you cannot rehab and make better, but most criminals have a chance. Through rehab and understanding why they did what they did, criminals have a chance to see who they are and what they can become if they work at it. By doing those things ex-convicts can re-enter society. Also I would like to propose that local, state, and United States government get involved to start more funding for rehabilitation programs. I have showed you statistics that show we can save a tremendous amount of money if we invest in the rehabilitation programs instead of just throwing criminals in prison and releasing them when there time is up. Not only would we be saving that money, we will also be giving people a second chance in life. That is what America is all about. In America we believe in giving you a second chance because we all make mistakes and it is not about making mistakes. It is what you make of yourself from those mistakes that count.
70% of criminals come from broken homes. I am talking about parents that mentally, sexually, and/or physically abuse their kids. That is a key component on why people become criminals. In looking at their childhood you can see how these influences shape people into future criminals. The crimes they will commit to try to make up for that lack of a good childhood. An example of a type of crime could be something as small as stealing. But to the criminal it shows they are superior over the authorities because they could get away with it and are smarter than the police. Now one reason why they would commit a crime to be superior is because they felt inferior as a child. Later on in life they try to make up for that feeling by committing a crime to feel superior or smarter than someone else. From a dysfunctional childhood can also stem a child that is looking for a place of belonging and comfort. That is why we see gangs and many troubled kids joining them. Then what happens after that is they end up in the wrong place at the wrong time. Next thing you know they are doing 25 to life for something they might not have even done. Another bad side effect of a bad childhood is the criminal becomes reliant on drugs to numb the pain away. That will ultimately lead to an addiction to drugs. Even though it is used as a coping mechanism to deal with things they do not understand and want to forget.
How effective rehabilitation is and is their enough of it? This is a highly debated topic right now in the United States. There are many types of rehabilitation programs. Some examples are drug treatment, boot camp, prison education, and faith based programs. Rehabilitation has been researched and reviewed by many people. What I have found is that rehab is effective as long as they put convicts in the right programs to help them succeed. The problem is not only do we not have enough but not every one of the rehabilitation programs is good enough to be effective right now . Unfortunately that is happening because a lack of resources and funds to support the curriculum's in these programs. It is possible to have enough of these programs in the future with state or grant funding. But we all know that it might not be a pressing issue. With many other issues dominating states debates about how to spend money, rehabilitation might not be at the top of the list. Even though, economically it might make sense to invest in more rehabilitation. A retired New Jersey judge Barnett Hoffman, who came up with the only licensed drug treatment program in new jersey said, “it’s incredibly expensive to lock someone up” also "One size does not fit all," "Everybody who's in there is coming out, so we have to do something to try to figure out a way they don't go back in after they come out." Said Hoffman. If you look at the statistics you will see treating some criminals is cheaper than locking them up. Cutting the number of inmates who return to prison by 10 percent would save states $635 million a year. Drug treatment and general education degree programs -- plus help transitioning back into society -- have cut recidivism rates up to 32 percent in states like Oregon, Kansas and Utah. I think it was said best by Adam Gelb of the Pew Center, when he sated "There are less expensive strategies that improve public safety,".
It takes a lot to break the criminal cycle and re-enter society. You need to change your attitude and behavior. You need to overcome rejection and learn new skills. These are huge obstacles for an ex-con. It is like hitting the reset button once you get back on the street. You need food, water, shelter, money. Having all of your right paperwork to get these things done. What about their family. How do they rebuild their relationships? They have to overcome many personal issues. They need to find a job. That means having skills someone wants and they need to take a big change on you given your history. After they find that job the most important thing is keeping that job. Also keeping up your education and training is huge to possible help you make more money so you do not have to live day by day. It takes all of these steps to reenter society and break the cycle of going back to prison. No one can understand the pain of a criminal and being incarcerated. The pain can last a lifetime and it involves rehabilitation. Even though when you look at it these seem like long odds for an ex-con but in a recent study in 2011 shows that out of all the convicts released, 40% will end up back in prison. That means the other 60% have a chance to break the cycle and stay out of prison.
The goal of my project is to have people think is it possible for a criminal through rehabilitation to be able to re-enter society. I wanted to show people where these criminals started in terms of their childhood. That will help me explain why they committed the crimes they committed. Finally I hope to show people that I know there are some criminals that you cannot rehab and make better, but most criminals have a chance. Through rehab and understanding why they did what they did, criminals have a chance to see who they are and what they can become if they work at it. By doing those things ex-convicts can re-enter society. Also I would like to propose that local, state, and United States government get involved to start more funding for rehabilitation programs. I have showed you statistics that show we can save a tremendous amount of money if we invest in the rehabilitation programs instead of just throwing criminals in prison and releasing them when there time is up. Not only would we be saving that money, we will also be giving people a second chance in life. That is what America is all about. In America we believe in giving you a second chance because we all make mistakes and it is not about making mistakes. It is what you make of yourself from those mistakes that count.