I never thought prisons were unnecessary. They serve a purpose when someone dangerous to themselves and society is incarcerated – until such a time they are no longer dangerous. Which brings us to – Prison Reform. The term alone is a threat to those who profit from overflowing prisons.
When the prison population becomes such that most of the farm is over fifty, broken down, chronically ill and unable to find the front gate – much less escape – I believe we need reform. Every one of us makes mistakes, some worse than others, but when an inmate does exactly as he or she is told and serves the minimum amount of time required to be placed on parole – they should be allowed to go home.
If, after twenty-five years of incarceration, the system can’t prove you are up to something – chances are, you aren’t. I’m not a psychiatrist or psychologist, but I think it would be impossible to hide who you truly are – good or bad – for a quarter of a century. But, in order to justify their actions, the system will accuse you of – ‘manipulating the system’ – acting one way when you’re really another.
If they can’t prove you’re up to something, they believe they have not looked hard enough. It couldn’t be that you were not up to anything except living a life of monotonous, repetitive days filled with boredom and no productivity.
On the other hand, if a person comes into the system with both guns blazing, caution to the wind, devil be damned, there is a good chance he or she will be the next to go. That individual is categorized as a ‘repeat customer’. Why release someone who is never coming back? That would be bad for business. And – once again – the taxpayer pays twice, sometimes three times, for the rehabilitation process. The system is like sausage. It tastes great going down, but if a person actually saw how the sausage was put together from start to finish, there would be more vegans.
Once again, I’m not saying prisons should be abolished, but more thought should be given to who and why a person is determined ‘too dangerous’ to be released after they reach their parole date. A man in his sixties, convicted of something bad he did thirty years ago, is not the same person he was. Ornery, maybe, but not a danger to anyone. Without hope, it’s hard to start each day.
The philosopher, Confucius, 551-479 A.D., was once asked by the Governor of the province he resided in to report to him why the prisons were so full, why crime was so rampant, and people so corrupt and deprived. Being the philosopher that he was, Confucius went from town to town interviewing the sheriffs, the mayors, and the wardens of the prisons. When he returned to the Governor, he reported that the people were only as law-abiding and good as the people in charge and if the governor replaced corrupt officials with moral, good men – he’d see a change in the pattern.
The governor did just that. Almost a year to the day later, the prisons were nearly empty, the crime rate nearly erased, and people were back on solid footing.
I know this is not ancient China, however mankind hasn’t changed that much in 2,500 years – maybe technology-wise but not morality-wise. I believe the old philosopher was on to something. I believe we should take the profit out of prison and put the prophet back in.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Beginning to feel a little less ‘Shipwrecked, Abandoned, and Misunderstood’. In spite of 25 years behind bars, John Green continues to wake up every day holding on to his humanity and on a mission to change the world for the better.
John Green #671771
C.T. Terrell Unit A150
1300 FM655
Rosharon, TX 77583
