Did you know that
1 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? I can't believe this. I really can't. How can we justify this? How in the world did this civilized society become the country with the highest incarceration rate and have the biggest prison population in the world? There are several questions we all must ask ourselves. Are we collectively allowing history to repeat itself? Are we raising
criminals? Who is to blame? What is to blame? How can North Americans be proud of the West? How can we stand in judgement of other countries? We have a lot of work to do here first. We can all get lost in pretty decorating pictures and cute crafting ideas, but everyone knows at least 1 person in jail! Your thoughts?
Did you know that 1 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? I can't believe this. I really can't. How can we justify this? How in the world did this civilized society become the country with the highest incarceration rate and have the biggest prison population in the world? There are several questions we all must ask ourselves. Are we collectively allowing history to repeat itself? Are we raising criminals? Who is to blame? What is to blame? How can North Americans be proud of the West? How can we stand in judgement of other countries? We have a lot of work to do here first. We can all get lost in pretty decorating pictures and cute crafting ideas, but everyone knows at least 1 person in jail! Your thoughts?
7 comments:
That is one scary statistic. I think we all hope it never touches us, but of course, it does. Our streets, our schools, our airports, all less safe today. What has gone wrong and how to right it? I have no idea. I guess, begin at home.
I'm with mimi...it begins at home. I'll be fifty this year and I carry so many of the lessons my parents taught me. They taught me the value of a dollar, how to work hard, how to save for a rainy day, and that you can't have everything you ask for...the list goes on. I never had children, but over the years it's been a challenge for me to observe many of my peers handing their kids the world on a silver platter...and now they can't understand why those young adults are in so much trouble. Perhaps if I'd had children it would be easier for me to understand, but I'd like to think that I would have passed on the same lessons my parents taught me.
I have heard many explanations, top of the list is the breakdown of the family unit. Makes sense to me, but what can we do to turn this around? Keep this one open for dicussion, I'm paying attention.
I worked at a juvi and I was so saddened, disheartened and uplifted by what goes on behind those bars. I don't really know what to think. Of course the family is important, but what if you don't have one and live a life being shuffled in the system? I definitely feel that there are many kids and adults that have so much to give (yes I know they made mistakes) BUT it seems like so many people who did not commit horrible crimes don't ever get to rebuild, rehabilitate and restart their lives.
I have been thinking about this all day. I think it begins with poverty. Now, I'm not saying that everyone must be rich, because as we see on the news, many, many wealthy people choose crime - which makes absolutely no sense to me - and then I think, gee, if I was a single Mom and not a cent to my name...what would I be willing to do to get a loaf of bread for my children....and then I think - perhaps crime is about ego and power and a human need for recognition - hungry. Hungry for something. Where are all the Criminologists when you need one?
Has poverty historically spawned this percentage of lawbreakers? Maybe it's that drugs are a now part of the equation.
Yes, drugs must be part of it. Now what?
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