|
Feedback ForumDo you believe U.S. prisons can effectively rehabilitate inmates?Submissions for this question are no longer being accepted. Previously submitted comments appear below. Comments may have been edited for content or space. Poster: eJewett Comment: What's lacking in our prison systems is HOPE. the loudest in our society have screamed for tougher sentences and to lock the doors and throw away the keys. Prisoners must feel that there is no hope for them to better themselves and our society tells them that. We treat offenders as if all of them are the worst of the worst, but in that frame of mind, where can compassion enter to tell the prisoners that there is hope for a better life? All the positive programs mentioned are obviously benificial and should be replicated and expanded to reach the most inmates possible. But our public discussion needs to change from a zero tolerance, punishment, and retribution system (which often can look like revenge) to a discussion on the impacts to all communities when our justice system does nearly nothing to reintegrate these millions of citizens who have been pushed to the fringes of society. It is pounded in their heads that they are worthless criminals unfit to interact in society (they are criminals, they have commited a crime or else they wouldn't be there...unless they're innocent) when a negative view of a person is constantly beraded to them, they will act in that way. If a criminal is told they're a worthless criminal, they'll likely stay a criminal. If a criminal is told they can lead a normal, law-abiding, free life, outside of prison bars.. they will think about their position with more optimision if they feel there is something to give them HOPE. We as a public have a duty to care for/about the least among us and strive to make rehabilitation the goal, rather than simply punishment or revenge. Poster: Beverly Hynes Comment: NO, they do not rehabilitate. They ship prisoners to different prisons to get money for programs that are not enacted. The prison system is a disgrace, where prisoners can find more drugs and alcohol (thanks in large part to the guards, who are not searched upon entry to the facility) inside than outside. They don't help them. Just leave them to their own devices. Many of them are mentally ill (about 25% according to DOC stats). We need to help people with more services etc before they are incarcerated. Yes, it is expensive, but far less than imprisoning them. Programs like Pathways to Housing in New York, that provides an apartment for former inmates with mental illnesses, have a 90% success rate. Why? they aren't interested in treating them until they can find a safe place for these people to live. Poster: Ms Mickey Gittelson Comment: A well thought out plan by well trained people can help some...not all of our criminals. They need acceptance and understanding. They need to see right from wrong and what inside of them put them in trouble. A well trained former criminal could be a great source of help when the proper program is developed. Hope there will be more successful attemtps. Good luck to all. Poster: nico Comment: No I do not. it makes them worse criminals, especially if they go in young, they are unsafe in there also and turn into worse criminals when released. Poster: Matthew Comment: With the exceptioon of the Sheridan program I've not seen any info on any syate taking rehab as seriously. States must realize that if some thought is not spent on rehab the threat to our society will only get worse. Poster: Polly Cleveland Comment: I'm a great fan of NOW. However, I am appalled that the program did not report that prison overcrowding arises from US policies, particularly drug policies, that are vastly more punitive than those of other western nations, including Canada. In New York we give people 15 to life for possession or sale of miniscule amounts of heroin or cocaine. Then we expect them to stay perfectly clean on release. That's like expecting drinkers never to touch another drop, smokers never to light up again, and overeaters never to touch another French fry. Is it any wonder most of them wind up back in prison? Poster: Karras Bommer Comment: I've been told that prisons have become big business; that an entire subculture of nearly free labor exists. If this is true, rehabilitation would simply reduce that work force. How could that be to the corporate advantage? The system needs more investigation. Poster: donbren Comment: Do you believe U.S. prisons can effectively rehabilitate inmates? NO ... just as no 12-step program can make a drunk stop drinking. ONLY the person desiring the change can effect it. PERIOD. Poster: PF Comment: I VOLUNTEERED AT A CALIFORNIA JAIL FOR THE LAST 3 YEARS. THE TWO MAJOR REASONS FOR RETURNING TO JAIL WAS ADDICTIONS AND LACK OF DECENT WORK OUTSIDE OF PRISON. I SEE THE SOLUTION AS MUCH MORE COMPLEX ,INVOLVING A UNITED EDUCATED SUPPORTIVE COMMUNITY READY TO GIVE SINCERE CONCERN AND DIRECTION AT THE MOMENT OF RELEASE. I HEARD SEVERAL .STORIES OF EX CONS GOING BACK TO THE ONLY PEOPLE THEY KNEW, FOR HELP, AND WERE BACK IN JAIL THE NEXT DAY OR WITHIN THE WEEK. OF THEIR RELEASE. WITHOUT A UNITED, ORGANIZED, ENLIGHTENED EFFORT TO PROVIDE WHAT IS NECESSARY TO REDIRECT THOSE WHO ARE COMMITTED TO CHANGE OLD HABITS AND BEHAVIORS WE HAVE A GROWING HOPLESS AND ANGRY SOCIETY IN AND OUT OF PRISON. Poster: Sue Azia Comment: I look forward all week to Now. I especially felt inspired by this week's show. We do need to find a better way to help returning prisoners, and I hope more states follow this example. Poster: Laura Comment: Being an parole agent and a clinical counseling student. I have seen a few cases where the subjects were scared to return to prison. I do believe programs that deal with the roots causes of their behaviors will make a difference. Many times I have challenged my clients to look at themselves, and when they do they finally see the connection of their past pains into the present. Studies show that a support system upon release is vital while attending outpatient substance treatment. Futhermore, according to studies subjects who have a dual diagnosis need about a two year substance abuse treatment. Poster: J. Carter Comment: Prison reform will only work, if there are jobs, with a reasonable wage attached to it... Right now, a College Graduate have a problem finding jobs... Check to see how the Student Loans are being paid.. Now we Globalize..!! Maybe if you go to China, we'll get work in the US..!! There's always WAL MART...!! Poster: williholden Comment: Rehabilitation in prison depends on an enlighteded warden, caring guards, educational & vocational programs for future jobs...all of this a pipedream? It has worked in the past & can in the future, but money has to be spent well on these programs. Poster: Penny Adrian Comment: Prisons as we now know them are not capable of assisting in the rehabilitative process. Some people who are incarcerated have made great strides in their own rehabilitation, but that is IN SPITE OF, not because of, the prison system. Some people do need to be seperated from society, but todays prison is not a place for any human being. Poster: Sy Glasser Comment: I doubt if a program would work on a national basis. The program would have to be instituted and the Staff well trained. Would there be sufficient money to hire additional Staff ? Is it possible for the present Staff to do the job ? Few would I believe. Rehabilitation has long been attempted n the U.S. and has failed. Perhaps a study of the reasons for the failures would aid. Poster: John Thomson Comment: As a fomer prisoner (17 1/2 yrs.) in over a dozen penitentiaries, the answer is no. They are not in the business to rehabilitate prisoners and they will be the first to tell you so. Prisons are currently an economic boom to small town farming communities. Try and close one of them and wait for the outcry against it. Prisons also thrive on slave labor for the government. Oh, and by the way, a prison school teacher told me God could change my life. I've been out of prison for 30 years, married 27 (to the school teacher ofcourse) raised 3 kids, and now retired. Poster: vueartist Comment: The problems we have with the corrections is that those that oversee the system are in the punishment business. You think that Abu Grabade was bad, those were people who worked iour prison system and was an example of what goes on in the American prison system on a regular basis. It's another example of how, despite a decent education offered by our public schools, these people grow into adulthood with no ethical or moral role model includng President Bush. Lord - please help us. Poster: Bob Hinkle Comment: The more prisons become private enterprise, just another business looking to grow, the less able they are to rehabilitate the inmate population. In addition, insofar as prisons are models for racism, they tend to negate successful reentry. Poster: Victoria Comment: In the state of NY, college courses and the possibility of getting a degree was removed from the prison system by former governor Pitaki, leaving, 3 to 6 month certificate programs for inmates in fields such as horticulture---minimum wage jobs----computer skills----the boon was over years ago and jobs in the field are scarce----building maintenance---try finding work in this field especially with the union or in a school with a felony ---and other low wage job fields. Ever heard of getting a job with book training---and minimum hands on--- as an electrician? Ever try learning computers without a computer? The recitivism rate for prison inmates who recieved college degrees before it was taken away was near 80% never returning to prison. Check out Bard College........this is just one study done. The inmates do the time and are released and given a bus or subway token to go----where----with no money? They earn at most 26cents an hour in prison sweeping the floors or other maintenance jobs in the prison----then buy soap to bathe with, and shaving cream---there goes your two weeks pay. What happened to minimum wage? Many have no familiy or friends left to help and no education with felony records. If half the inmates had had educations they would not be in prison system in the first place. Yes they can be rehabilitated if given the chance. But the system will not allow that because people whine that their children cannot afford to go to college so why should prison inmates have that opportunity---why?---weigh the cost/benefit of a job training/college programs to incarceration----college cost to tax payers, $30,000---incarceration in prison for life---$50,000 a year at least. And the cost is going up with overtime given to corrections officers already making way above average income and more than 100 prisons in NY and building more. There is an even greater benefit----less victims of crime. Many inmates in NY are coerced to go to drug classes even though they were never involved with drugs. Why? The federal government pays for each inmate in upwards of $10,000 for this one class---the more who take it---the more the state recieves. Just a slight misuse of taxpayers money. Maybe this money could be put towards teaching an inmate how to read and a buy a few books?----hmmmm? The system needs just a slight bit of overhauling and I think we would see the recitivism rate drop drastically. Rehabilitate---yes! Poster: Don Timmerman Comment: It is obvious that if prisoners are not rehabilitated they will repeat their crimes. Rehabilitation requires much time, compassion and love shown to the prisoners. Instead, our prisons continue to use violence, disrespect and cruelty against the prisoners. This is symptomatic of the philosophy of our society which is that violence pays. If you make someone suffer a lot that person will change to become a better person. Of course, the opposite is true. If you want to see positive change in someone you must show love in word and action to that person. Christ taught this. all psychologists and social workers have learned this in their training, but it is simply not put into effect. Therefore, the vicious circle continues, and recidivism continues. Poster: Jim Colbert Comment: Prisons COULD work, just like public schools could work (and a cynic could think of the prisons as the post (non) graduate program of the public schools for failed students since many prisoners can not read). If we want to break the cycle of multigenerational poverty, broken families, and repeat offenders then we need to somehow break the current political stalemate. Republicans, with their corporate low cost/high profit mentality, just want to privatize everything , sort of Walmart meets Enron. If it sounds good to you, well God forbid you accidentally fall into the justice system! Democrats are hung up on the rights of the perpetrators (what about the crime victims?) and sometimes our election cycle causes the same short sightedness as quarterly corporate earnings: we spend tons of money on politically acceptable new prisons that continue to fail but no money on long term but politically risky programs like the Sheridan Correctional Center which could keep people from returning to jail. Rehab costs money and it isn't cheap, but our current broken justice / penal system is pretty expensive too, and it is not working. The fact that we have so many people incarcerated should be a national scandal but it is just one more indictment of our infotainment news media. Poster: Judith Nappe Comment: Rehab can and does happen but the US prison system does not seem very effective. It seems they like Halliburton to build them, then stuff them full and bleed the municipalities, counties and states of money for their prisoners. Rehab needs continuous counseling, medications, group therapy and dietary assistance - forever for some folks. Does that happen in US prisons? It seems not, especially if there is the rate of return prisoners mentioned above. Poster: Sylvia Comment: No. All one needs to do is to look at thr rate of recidivism to see that our prisons do a lousy job. In fact, they do no rehabilitation whatsoever. Poster: Tom Litsch Comment: Hate and punishment do not cure bad behavior. Only LOVE can help change one for the better. Why do so many so called Christians concentrate on hate instead of love. They should know hate and cruel vengence will only breed more hate and bad behavior! Poster: Andy Galligan Comment: A large percentage of inmates are addicts. I believe there is no hope for rehabilitation until an addict has an effective desire to change and a good 12-step program to support such a desire. I don't believe punitive incarceration will ever effect such a desire which has to come from within the person. Regarding the rest of the prison population, those who are not addicts, I do not think that our penal system is primarily or sufficiently set up to rehabiliate a person, but mainly to imprison the inmate and keep him/her off the streets for a given time. We hope when the prisoner is released, the ordinary citizens will be safer, but too often the parolee will come out more brutalized and angrier than ever. The whole depressing situation calls to my mind Karl Menninger's book The Crime of Punishment. It will take far more dedicated and wiser minds than mine to crack this nut. Poster: Barry De Jasu Comment: I believe that the current state of our prisons is not compatable with rehabilitation. Our privitized prison system is all about profit. the more inmates the better, thein lies one of the problems. There is just not the interest in humanitarian styled prison philosophy. Poster: James Hall Comment: Yes America's prisons are really overcrowded. One factor driveing this overcrowding is the large number of illegal aliens in America's jails. The black population does contribute it's own share. Poster: Jenny Hurley Comment: A person gets out of prison. Who is going to hire him? We need the prison system to design and implement companies and manufacturing businesses where the ex-prisoner can have money coming and get to work for a couple of years so that he has a job record on his resume. At the same time, they need to have housing units near these businesses/factories. A lot of pepole cannot figure this out for themselves. They need nelp. Thanks Poster: jmanning Comment: Our prisons have become places of violence, where minor criminals learn the skills of the masters, and the vulnerable are used and abused. Punishment is sometimes extreme with long-term isolation and excessive use of tasers and cruel forms of restraint. Women prisoners are humiliated - and worse - by male guards. Juveniles are put into adult prisons and often raped. People released from these pits of horror are often in very bad shape. There is very little outside to help them to reintegrate back into society, and there are a good many bad laws that make it even harder. While there are exceptions, most prisons do more damage than good. Rehabilitation for most will have to occur outside prison. Poster: Richard Thompson Comment: Many inmates can be rehabilitated, but our prisons almost exclusively favor retribution and punishment. This excludes rehabilitation. Poster: J. Comment: No - all evidence reflects the contrary! Poster: Robi Comment: Only if the focus of the institution is rehabilitation and not solely punishment and punative actions. When there was a belief in rehabilitation, prisons had classes to get HS diplomas and college credit, job training, and more humane lodgings. Presently, our nation seems to be interested in only punishment, not in preparing the inmates for their discharge back into society as full members, participating members of their communities. Is the lack of rehab, education and training why felons in many states aren't allowed to vote, can't get jobs in the outside and may have problems finding housing? |
Who's Helping Our Wounded Vets?
Elizabeth Warren on the Economy
Nurses Needed
Electric Car Dreams
PBS Special Report: Health Care Reform
