Brielle Cetraro
Enlgish 103-20
9-11-17
What should be the purpose of prison? To punish people who do “bad” things? To teach people how to make better decisions? Do we really make sure these things are being accomplished? The idea of prison is to both of these things and make our society better, yet locking them up may be hindering prisoners. Ex-prisoners are not taught a new way to live in the real world, they become dependent on prison for shelter and food, and we may be able to fix these things by incorporating more work and education into a prison sentence.
Yes, some people need to be kept away from the bulk of society so that they don’t cause harm. Yet, how are we teaching them a lesson when their sentence is over so that they can help, not hinder, society when they get out? Many ex-cons will end up back in prison because they fall back into their same old lifestyle. Once they get out of prison, they go besides their old home where they feel comfortable with the familiarity, even if it is destructive. The ex-cons are not able to work to get themselves out of this old lifestyle because our prison system does not give them the tools to move on after getting released. We need to teach them real life lessons while they are serving their time so that once they released they can move forward towards a new way of living and not fall back into their old one.
Because these prisoners are not able to get a job or find a secure lifestyle after prison, they end up finding themselves getting locked up again soon after their release. Prison gives the inmates food, a place to sleep, medication, and people all around them that do not judge, but relate to them. This results in some prisoners not being afraid of getting themselves into trouble again, because they will go back to the uncomfortable familiarity of prison. Of course, these people are humans and need to receive their basic needs of food and shelter while behind bars. Yet, they are not given the tools to realize how much better their own life can be after their sentence is up.
What these problems boil down to is the ability to help prisoners be more prepared for after they get out. These people should be taught how to work using their own talents and skills as well as being educated on the jobs that would fit them best. This would possibly help them for their life after and know change the path they were going along. The issue of money to build a new life after could also be helped if prisoners could make money while serving their time. Having a full time job while in jail would help their community, teach them responsibility and skills used in the workforce, and let them earn money to help them get back up on their feet after they leave prison.
It would be beneficial to provide more learning experiences to the people in prison so that they can efficiently build a better life for themselves after being released.