What could have been done to reform Eric Pectol? He was convicted of shooting a man in the chest -- attempted murder -- in 2004. Drug convictions came in 2014 and 2017. Then, Thursday, he ran from the scene of an accident, was chased by police, evidently pulled a gun on officers, and was shot, himself.
Could Pectol have been reformed in prison? Did we try to reform him, or did he judy do his time, earn early parole, and leave prison without a concerted effort having been made to reform him?
Was any effort made to reform him while he was on parole? Did we just keep track of him, ready to toss him back in prison if he misbehaved, and that was the extent of reforming him?
Our criminals need better direction, better counseling, better teaching. In prison, they need to be taught better. Once out and on probation, they need friends. Probation officers should be that. We need probation officers who are anxious to place the ex-cons in the best situations possible, so they do not return to lives of crime.
Alas, our parole programs are hardly that.
Who knows if Pectol could have been reformed, I will only say that from what I do know about our prisons and our parole programs, we do not do an adequate job of reforming criminals such as Eric Pectol.
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