Once a Criminal, Always a Criminal? Rehabilitation Can Work, If Society Takes it Seriously

Should a criminal be punished or rehabilitated? There are sound arguments on both sides of the debate. The problem however has been that our system of justice has tried to rehabilitate prisoners while at the same time trying to punish them. This has been a dismal failure. There is a better alternative. Separate rehabilitation from punishment. Consider the following facts.

More than 50 percent of all crimes are committed by re-offenders, and 40 percent to 60 percent of parolees return to prison.(dailytexanonline) In Texas, half of the juvenile offenders become repeat offenders. (agnews.tamu.edu) According to a 1994 study by the U.S. Department of Justice, more than two-thirds of released prisoners were arrested within three years, with more than half of those returning to prison.(dailytoreador) On June 30, 2006, 2,245,189 prisoners were held in Federal or State prisons or in local jails. (www.ojp.gov) These prisoners will be released after serving less than 50% of their sentences.(www.ojp.usdoj.gov)

Why are the recidivism rates so high? Criminals usually have a poor education. Jobs, after release, are hard to find and usually low paying. Who wants to hire a known thief? Returned to their home, they again associate with the society that bred the criminal activity in the first place. They have no base of support from which to rise above their situation and so return to a life of crime.

Rehabilitation of first time offenders should be possible; however, it must be done outside of the normal prison system. Consider the following true story.

It's 1967; the Vietnam War machine requires recruits. A local man is mean as all get out, fighting, stealing, and overall antisocial behavior is the norm. Arrested, the judge gives him the option; jail or enlist in the military. He joins the marines. Six months after leaving for boot camp he returns home a changed man. From the person who would beat up a little old lady for a couple of bucks, he's now the one who helps little old ladies cross the street.