I have to admit, I am not an expert when it comes to the justice system, but I read an article which astounded me. According to the Pew Center on the States:
“One in every 31 U.S. adults is in the corrections system, which includes jail, prison, probation and supervision, more than double the rate of a quarter century ago…. The United States has the highest incarceration rate and the biggest prison population of any country in the world, according to figures from the U.S. Department of Justice.”
According to Adam Gelb, director of the Center’s Public Safety Performance Project:
“Violent and career criminals need to be locked up, and for a long time. But our research shows that prisons are housing too many people who can be managed safely and held accountable in the community at far lower cost….”
Seems like there is far more we could do to help rehabilitate criminals. Our current system seems to be set up more for punishment rather than rehabilitating.
Some of our efforts to serve those within prison and those in our community with criminal backgrounds got me thinking about this issue. For more thoughts, check out “Rehabilitating or Punishing Criminals.”
