| Our prisons are broken. Does anybody really doubt | | | | work across the board with all inmates, but some |
| that? Two-thirds of felons return to jail within three | | | | have demonstrated more promise and success than |
| years of release. We lock people up at a faster rate | | | | others. These are the ones that ought to be |
| than any other developed country, and yet it | | | | investigated, replicated, and instigated. Prison reform |
| doesn’t result in lower crime rates than those | | | | and rehabilitation programs ought to be at the top of |
| other countries. We need to look for real solutions to | | | | the list of priorities, rather than being among the first |
| fix the problems of our penal system. | | | | cuts during a budget crunch. |
| Most of us relate more to the victims of crimes than | | | | Wouldn’t it be wonderful if during the course of |
| the perpetrators. We feel anger and impatience with | | | | a jail sentence, an inmate could be transforming into |
| those who commit crimes, and prison sentences | | | | a better person rather than a more hardened |
| often serve to satisfy our need for retribution and | | | | criminal? If prison fellowship could be inspirational and |
| revenge. The punishment received for crimes is often | | | | restorative rather than draining life of all hope? In a |
| well warranted. Many of us hope that perpetrators | | | | forward-thinking society, we would spend less money |
| will feel a portion of the pain that they inflicted on | | | | building jails and more building community centers, |
| their victims. Yet, unless we can break the cycle of | | | | pass fewer laws regarding mandatory sentencing and |
| crime-punishment-more crime, we all suffer; society | | | | more regarding restorative justice. If prisoners are |
| suffers. | | | | forced to take accountability through vocational or |
| Few criminals make the mental connection between | | | | educational or anger management classes while |
| their actions and the prison time they serve. They | | | | incarcerated, and if they have follow-up support for |
| are often much more full of excuses than remorse. | | | | reintegration with society upon their release, |
| This disconnect lies at the heart of recidivism. But | | | | they’re much less likely to wind up back in jail. |
| just as there are many ways that lives can fall apart, | | | | Some prison reform truly does work. We do a |
| we need to explore a variety of options for building | | | | disservice to us all if we ignore that to focus solely |
| them back up. No single prison reform program will | | | | on punishment. |
