To Reform the Criminal, Give Him a Job

   If we are to reform the criminal, we must give him opportunity to succeed. Translation: He needs a job. Rather than a system in which the prisoner is released and goes out looking for a job, facing many employers who do not want to hire ex-convicts, we need a system that places him in a job.
   Of all the things we should want the ex-convict to have, a job may be the most important, or at least close to it. The reasons are many. We want them to develop a work ethic. We want them to be productive members of society. We want them to have self-worth. We want them to support their families. We want them to be able to pay off any fines we might impose on them. We want them to be able to pay their bills with legitimately-earned money instead of having to turn back to crime.
   The reformation of criminals will not likely be achieved if they are not gainfully employed. It is an essential element, one that is overlooked and left out of our present system.