Prisoners re-enter society

[bnratu2]

Hi everyone, I think that every person has his right to live in a society no matter even if he was a prisoner in his early life. Most of the prisoners are racial or ethnic minorities and have difficulty in re-entering the society as they are faced with poverty and this leads to crime for which they are re-arrested are convicted and re-incarcerated and this adds a burden on the government in respect of tax-payers. What are your views on this?

[andrewlittle]

Hi everyone, I think that every person has his right to live in a society no matter even if he was a prisoner in his early life. Most of the prisoners are racial or ethnic minorities and have difficulty in re-entering the society as they are faced with poverty and this leads to crime for which they are re-arrested are convicted and re-incarcerated and this adds a burden on the government in respect of tax-payers. What are your views on this?

Basically, I agree.

Culture tends to lump "criminals" together into categories. White collar criminals (usually with white necks inside the collar) tend to have the easiest time being accepted back into society. Violent criminals have generally the most difficult re-entry, if it is allowed at all.

People of color experience more of a tendency to lump them into the violent criminal group, no matter the crime they committed. They also, of course, are convicted in disproportionate numbers and get longer imprisonment than white offenders.

In reality, there is a dispropionately high percentage of people of color who commit offenses. I think, if we took the time to study the research and drill into the socio-economic circumstances, we find that that there is a dispropionately high number of poor people offending, with people of color making up a disproportionately high number of the poor. Ergo, more people of color committing crimes.

The current justice system, with its goal as retributive justice, fails to understand crime as an extra-legal, informal microeconomy. In poor countries, microeconomies are being encouraged as solutions to poverty. In the U.S., however, the odds against microeconomies succeedling are inordinately high - with few avenues for poor people to build and engage in them.

Enter crime as a microeconomic solution - one that our culture inadvertantly encourages by blocking access to more "legitimate" solutions to poverty. Absent an entry point into extra-legal economic activity, the next step is entry into illegal economic activity - but for many it is prompted by the same kind of need to survive.

These, then, become the people who get longer sentences, receive no rehabilitation or useful training, and are disallowed functional membership in the community after release.

Then we get surprised when they re-offend. So, who's nuts - the person trying to survive - or the culture that punishes and blocks access, and then bitches about escalating crime?

[jacab]

This is a very good issue to discuss about as it is concerned with the human race and deals with the real problems faced in the society. The Second Chance Act is taken in this way and hope that it brings a new dawn for the people. I believe you can also express your views on this on savetheleft (www.savetheleft.com) which is good place to know your comments on such issues.

[Gregory_de_Bois]

I think there are a variety of problems: who we send in (Andy brought this up), what we do with them while they are imprisoned, and what we do with them when their time is served.

For the first section: Andy basically covered it. We inordinately incriminate non-caucasians more than caucasians. This is in part because other races tend to be in worse-off situations, "forcing" them to commit petty crimes. Also, the system is generally leaning against other races, with African-Americans and Hispanics being convicted far more than Caucasians. There is also a huge problem with our prisons being used as mental institutes. The number of mentally insane/disabled persons on the streets and in prisons has increased dramatically as the number of appropriate facilities has dwindled.

For the second section: we need more service and rehab opportunities while the criminals are imprisoned. I remember reading that those who did not get high school or college diplomas had a higher crime rate than those who did. I think for many criminals who are going to be reintroduced to society (which I believe should be the goal for many crimes) there needs to be some sort of adult education, community service (currently done), and career preparation. I am sure that much of this is being done, but you asked for my opinion. :p

For the last section: we have a tendency to just throw our criminals back into society once we are "finished" with them. There needs to be proper reintroduction processes. Adequate healthcare, housing, and employment opportunities need to be provided to these ex-convicts, or else the cycle of violence and crime is only going to continue.

That's my ten cents. Personally, I think that it can very from state to state, as I think there are specific needs for every state, given the racial ratios, crime rates, and proper facilities.