Our 'Children' in Prison Need Constant Correction

   If a child misbehaves, we correct him. We send him to time-out, or spank him, or make him do the dishes. Whatever form of correction we employ, we do not let him continue his bad conduct.
   Perhaps we should consider if our efforts do any good, because if correction is good for the child, it is also good for the adult. Thing is, though, we can no longer correct the adult. He no longer has to listen to us.
   . . . Until he goes to jail.
   For that brief time he is in prison, he once again is subject to going to time out, or to doing the dishes. It is strange, then -- or should be -- that we hear so little of prisoners being corrected for misbehaving. Oh, I am not talking of the bigger things, such as physically fighting, for I imagine they are punished if they fistfight and such.
   No, I mean little things like yelling at other prisoners, calling them names, and belittling them. When we catch prisoners mocking each other, and treating each other bad, do we correct them? Do we even so much as say, "David, you should not be making fun of Kevin that way"?
   No. They are in prison for however long, and punishing them for the crime they committed is all we concern ourselves with. There is not correction for cussing, or mocking, or cheating while playing cards. It is as if we think those things are none of our business -- and that is, indeed, probably exactly what we think. We think it is none of our business to correct the prisoner for swearing or making fun of others or cheating while playing cards.
   We squander the chance of retraining the child, the child who has now become an adult. We have him back in our charge for this brief span of time, and we waste this narrow opening and do not even try to re bring up the child who has become an adult.
   We waste it away.
   Is there no wonder that we have high recidivism? If we aren't even trying to reform the prisoner's character, how do we suppose to succeed at turning him into a better individual?
   I will say, I don't know if making the prisoner drop and do 20 push-ups every time he picks on a fellow prisoner is the answer. But, I know he should be corrected, if in none other way than being told what he did was wrong. If simply being told not to do something does not work, then escalate to forms of punishment such as no TV for a week, or whatever.
   Those who have the best parenting skills would do us well to be working in the prisons, whether they be there as paid employees or as volunteers. We need workers in the prison who oversee everything the prisoner does, and who provide correction each time they catch a misbehavior. If ever there were children needing constant supervision, it would be our "children" in prison.