Screw up once, never get the opportunity to again.

Today I was going through my loop of checking out hot articles, reading through discussions on forums and Facebook. One of the interesting articles that I found some interesting debate on was about how ex-convicts are treated / will be treated in Seattle.

Recently there has been discussion about a provision to give ex-convicts a fair chance at putting their life together again following their "treatment" or "rehabilitation" or "prison", whichever you prefer.

The responses I read about the bill instantly jumped to the conclusions that rapists and child molesters will be given more rights -- how abominable!! This even coming from a source I thought to be a little more even minded. After reading the article it gave me great insight into how the common criminal is treated after they are released from their sentencing.

And specifically about how an ex-convict instantly translates into some horrible, horrible monstrous person. We need to be aware that everyday there are new laws proposed, drafted, and presented to our government to impose stricter control, add more regulation, make new things illegal and a lot of this goes underneath our eyes. You can become a convict for any number of things, not to say that they are innocent crimes by any means nor is it excusable to not know of a crime.

It's not all like Ocean's 11, they ain't going in for a huge heist, and they
aren't immediately being released to a billion dollars

But just because someone has a felony on record, is an ex-convict does not mean they are forever stuck in a criminal mind set. Another interesting thing I'll skew off a little bit about here - is in relation to my Lucidending post, in the same area I found another thread that took me to an ex-convicts rundown of his prison experience. From when he was charged, till a few months after his release an in-depth, personal experience of being a convict and the prison system for 2 years.

It was another great eye-opening experience hearing about what general populace is in prison, the molds that are shaped from those who are sent there, the kinds of people there and what not. It described his struggles both in and outside the pen, dealing with correctional officers and his probation officers. It shows you there are people that deserve to be treated as criminals (through their repeat actions) and someone who happened to make a mistake.

Back on topic though, it made me realize that a good majority of convicts just want to try to return to a productive life after 'learning their lesson', and our current society does not in any way embrace their will to change, but rather puts up a front of intolerance and hate. How can we ever be a progressive society if we can't even try to pick up those that have fallen?

As it is now though, according to insight from a Seattle convict trying to get his life back on track it's a very tough path. And righteously so, but should we make their remaining life hell? By no means. I think we need stronger rehabilitation for criminals, education for those convicted, and opportunities outside the pen. According to the source of that prison experience, the majority of inmates were black. And about 90% of them were illiterate. They were stuck in a perpetual motion of crime, as they had no ability to do anything else. They would have their cell mates write letters to their children, about any paperwork or whatever for parole. If an inmate is literate, that is a huge bonus right off the bat. If you can read and write, you can get mega goods traded for your services as so many are illiterate.

As it stands right now, you can immediately be excluded from a great number of things, just by being convicted of a crime. Sure, in some cases it's justified that you wouldn't grant a particular person access to a living area you were renting out or something like that. But in others, it doesn't make sense to be immediately judged based on your record. The article talks about letting landlords and such do an independant review of any tenants, rather than them immediately be forgotten about.

Give those trying to make a change in their life by attending rehabilitation, finding work (which is also very, very hard to find even the easiest of jobs as a convict), a chance to prove themselves. People can change for the good if they find the right help in life... unfortunately prison just ends up being 2 -25 years of 'survival', and nothing else. It's a blank life... and if they can show they can change, why take that away from them?


SEATTLE ARTICLE: http://www.king5.com/home/Ex-Cons-A-Protected-Class-117496888.html