Train Criminals Like We Train Children

Could we do better with our criminal system, I mean really better?

I thought about that last night, as I blogged. And I do think there are things we're not doing that could make a big difference. The idea is to reform the convict and we know that it is important for people to surround themselves with good influences.

So, why shouldn't surrounding inmates with good associations be part of their reform? Establish programs where church groups and charities send visitors to the jail. Of course, influence can go both ways, so I am not sure I want the visitors to become regulars, but rather suggest they rotate into the prisoner's life, then right out.

Yes, a person needs steady friends. That would be the role of those the convict is going to return to once he or she leaves prison. I do not think it wrong that some of these friends are culled out. Let's not allow them to visit if we judge them to be bad influences. If we do not want the convict to see them after prison, then remove them from the convict's life during prison, which is the time frame for which we have authority to do so.

In most situations, family should not be restricted from visiting, even when there is fear the family members are bad influences. Instead, the visits from the family members should be directed so visitors and family members are doing positive things, perhaps studying on the lives of positive role models, such as, say, George Washington, or perhaps studying a list of good quotes, or reading the Bible or doing whatever good thing. Conversation between the prisoner and visitors should be monitored and they should be required to treat each other respectfully. The hope, of course, is that good habits will be established that will carry on after the convict is released.

Okay, you say, forcing them to speak good of each other, and kindly to each other is not freedom of speech. True, but there are times in life where training takes precedence over such freedom. A child isn't allowed to do or say many things, but rather is required to be good. Sometimes, when people don't turn out good, they need retraining. It occurs to me that if we really believe people can change, if we really believe they can reform, then they should be retrained. If the process for training children is tried and true, and works, why would we not consider using it? Since children are restricted in speech and conduct toward other people, why shouldn't prisoners be?

I've occasionally thought on how we throw the prisoners in with other prisoners and how they become bad influences on each other. And, I've thought how they understandably might fear each other. I do not think it good. The training, or retraining mentioned above can be part of the solution, monitoring conversations and conduct between the inmates and requiring them to treat each other right and good. Yes, that limits their freedom of speech, but we limit the freedom of speech of children. So, again, if we are really going to retrain them, is there any other way as effective as how we train children, that is by monitoring them and requiring that they do right?

The downside of such a retraining system, I'm sure, is the expense of having more supervision, in order for all conversations to be monitored. One way to limit this is to have less time when the inmates see each other. Restrict them to solitary confinement more, and then you do not need one prison guard for every two inmates in order to monitor them.