Who will have this prison? Not in my backyard, says, Saratoga Springs. Not here, says West Jordan. Don't bring it around our homes, says Eagle Mountain. Please keep away from us, says Salt Lake City. So, will the prison go to the Tooele, which hasn't rejected it?
The question should be, is Tooele the best site? If rehabbing criminals is what we want, which site will serve us best -- Point of the Mountain, where it currently is, or, say, Tooele?
Point of the Mountain is closer to the courts, medical services, mental help resources . . . and, most important of all, volunteers.
Volunteers.
They are valued at Utah's prison. And, I believe they should play an even greater role than what they already play. People don't change without other people. It takes people to change people. It takes love, attention, coaxing, coaching, inspiring, and helping -- all of which require people to do them. It takes someone showing them how, and someone setting an example for them. You want to change your person by locking him up? Go ahead and try. It might work. But, somehow, I think you'll get better results if, instead of ignoring your prisoner, you help him.
A prison with walls to hold a man in, is a prison indeed. But a prison with volunteers who reach in to help, is more than a prison. It becomes an institution providing the elements proven to change people's lives. It takes people to change people, and Point of the Mountain is more accessible to a prison's most valuable commodity -- volunteers -- than is Tooele.
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