You must change a person's interests, hobbies and pursuits, or you won't change the person..
If you haven't shown him a way of making a living besides committing crime, you should know full well you haven't reformed the prisoner.
If you haven't given him something other than a life of crime to live for, then you haven't reformed the prisoner.
So, how do you rehabilitate a prisoner? It starts with changing what they are about. Give them not only something to do, but something they love to do. Train them in a job they can enjoy. Give them a hobby they can pursue. Teach them to be interested in things that matter, not in the inane and frivolous. Groom their lives while in prison so that they are taking in wholesome entertainment, and learning to love it. Teach them that while many of today's movies and TV shows are chosen by many, they will be able to decline to view them, selecting instead the shows that are uplifting.
Fill their lives with good while they are in prison, and teach them to enjoy these things, and when they are out, they will be more inclined to have positive pastimes and pursuits.
Saturday, June 13, 2015
A Host of Questions Should be Asked in this Sexual Harassment Case
Consider the current sexual harassment scandal that has brought down Salt Lake City Police Chief Chris Burbank. And, consider the Eighth Amendment, which says, "Excessive bail shall not be required, no excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted."
The punishment should fit the crime, not exceed it.
The punishment should fit the crime, not exceed it.
Bless the women harmed when Deputy Chief Rick Findlay reportedly stole and shared their pictures, reportedly showing two of them bikini-clad, and another naked. Was this a situation where they could not have been expected to work in an environment where he remained? I do not know. Perhaps we would have to study the case more to know. But, off top, I do wonder if they could have worked it out and continued to work together.
I do say, though, I very much question whether a large amount of money should be fined Findlay through the lawsuit. I say this because the Constitution says "no excessive fines" shall be imposed. We would have to study what trauma resulted to the women, to know how much to pay them. We would have to ask questions such as, Who did Findlay show the pictures to? What were their reactions? Had the women, themselves, showed the pictures to anyone? Who? If the women took the pictures to begin with, how had they planned to use them? Had they not planned on anyone seeing them? How is it that those they would select differed from those who ended up seeing the pictures?
There might well be very good answers to those questions, but they should be asked, the same.
Other questions? How did Findlay come across the pictures? Had the women told him about them? Oh, there are many, many other questions that would need to be asked, and I cannot list them all here.
I do say, though, I very much question whether a large amount of money should be fined Findlay through the lawsuit. I say this because the Constitution says "no excessive fines" shall be imposed. We would have to study what trauma resulted to the women, to know how much to pay them. We would have to ask questions such as, Who did Findlay show the pictures to? What were their reactions? Had the women, themselves, showed the pictures to anyone? Who? If the women took the pictures to begin with, how had they planned to use them? Had they not planned on anyone seeing them? How is it that those they would select differed from those who ended up seeing the pictures?
There might well be very good answers to those questions, but they should be asked, the same.
Other questions? How did Findlay come across the pictures? Had the women told him about them? Oh, there are many, many other questions that would need to be asked, and I cannot list them all here.
All this would help us determine whether the punishment of Findlay was fair in order to consider whether the punishment to Chief Burbank was fair. Off top, it seems, to me, a cruel thing that he ended up losing his job. I realize the punishment Burbank received did not come from a court. Still, I do wonder if it, too, falls under the Eighth Amendment, as it says there shall not be cruel punishments.
The women demand justice. They demand retribution. That is fair. But, we must be careful our wrath against Rick Findlay is not carried too far, for we have a mandate from the Constitution suggesting that the retribution not be out of measure with the offenses he committed.
Friday, June 12, 2015
It is the Land Around the Airport that has Potential Like None Other
It is the land around the airport, not at Point of the Mountain, that is like none other. You cannot duplicate land around an airport. Once we have given the land to lesser uses, it will be gone, a resource wasted.
Would be wonderful if we could only see the potential that land has, the opportunity it gives us. It should be developed as the entrance to our state, for as much as any other place, it is. It should be developed to cater to those who fly in and out.
Alas, it seems it will be auctioned off cheaply like an old violin, so to speak. A prison? Additional industrial parks? I fear that is the direction the land is headed, unfortunately.
Why not develop it to its potential? Why not develop it as the gateway to our state? For, that is what it is, whether we have the foresight to utilize it for that purpose or not.
Would be wonderful if we could only see the potential that land has, the opportunity it gives us. It should be developed as the entrance to our state, for as much as any other place, it is. It should be developed to cater to those who fly in and out.
Alas, it seems it will be auctioned off cheaply like an old violin, so to speak. A prison? Additional industrial parks? I fear that is the direction the land is headed, unfortunately.
Why not develop it to its potential? Why not develop it as the gateway to our state? For, that is what it is, whether we have the foresight to utilize it for that purpose or not.
Thursday, June 11, 2015
The Eighth Amendment Does Not Allow for This
Today, Salt Lake Police Chief Chris Burbank was forced to resign after not demoting his deputy for sexual harassment.
I think of the Constitution, and how the Eighth Amendment says, "Excessive bail shall not be required, no excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted." That has come to be interpreted, in part, to mean the punishment shall not exceed the crime.
Sexual harassment is not something to be condoned, at all. But, is everything that fits under its umbrella to be punished equally? In theft, we have different gradations. If it is above $500, for example, it becomes a felony.
I think we should consider what should be the appropriate punishment in this situation. I know no more than what I have read today, but I understand Deputy Chief Rick Findlay shared bikini-clad pictures of the women, and that he said a picture of one of them showed the woman naked.
What is the appropriate punishment? I do not know. Firing the officer? Maybe, but I consider heavily that that might be overkill. I do know this, I do not think an appropriate punishment is for the officer to be sued for an excessive amount. Could the women be expected to work in the same department with him after he had shown the pictures? I am not as certain as many that that could not have been achieved.
We live in a litigious society. We live in society where finding an offense can lead to great persecution. We live in a society that sees it as a duty is to find a fault and poke a stick. I believe we should wonder at what the Constitution warns against -- excessive fines and cruel punishments. I do not know how much the women are suing for, but I question whether it is just. I also think of the punishment Chief Burbank has received for not demoting Findlay. Is it a cruel thing that he has lost his job over this?
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
What is Important in Raising a Child, is Important for the Prisoner
All the things that are important in raising a child, are important in correcting a criminal. You must love the child, for if you neglect him, he might be come a delinquent. Even so, if you neglect to love the prisoner, he is likely to remain a delinquent.
You must constantly watch over the child, correcting him for each thing he does wrong, that he will learn the things he should do. Even so, you should watch the prisoner in everything he does, all day long, and catch him when he belittles another, catch him when he lies, catch him when he cheats at a game of cards. For, if you are to reform him, here is how you do it: He must learn right from wrong, same as a child.
You must prepare him to make a living someday. Preparation for a vocation as always been part of a child's training, even before there were schools. So it is with the prisoner: he should be trained for a vocation lest he exit the prison without a way of making a living. It is as important to the prisoner as it is to the young person.
You must constantly watch over the child, correcting him for each thing he does wrong, that he will learn the things he should do. Even so, you should watch the prisoner in everything he does, all day long, and catch him when he belittles another, catch him when he lies, catch him when he cheats at a game of cards. For, if you are to reform him, here is how you do it: He must learn right from wrong, same as a child.
You must prepare him to make a living someday. Preparation for a vocation as always been part of a child's training, even before there were schools. So it is with the prisoner: he should be trained for a vocation lest he exit the prison without a way of making a living. It is as important to the prisoner as it is to the young person.
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
Give Him New Pursuits, or You Won't Reform the Prisoner
I wouldn't mind seeing prisoners self employed, right there in prison.
Oh, I would not allow them to become rich, but I do see value in letting prisoners develop their skills, or express the ones they already have, through self-employment while within the prison walls. I believe in a prison that rehabilitates prisoners. I dream of a prison that turns them out as productive members of society. I believe in giving the prisoner a dream, something to live for besides crime. I believe in giving his life meaning, purpose, and passion.
If you would turn him from a life of crime, give him something else to pursue. When he exits that prison, make him a person who has purpose, who doesn't need to thief or steal or sell drugs because he has learned other and legitimate ways of making a living. Make him a person who has developed a passion for doing something else.
If you don't develop him professionally, when he leaves prison, he will probably return to the same interests and pursuits he had when he got in. If a life of crime is all he knows, if making a living has always depended on it, and he wasn't taught anything else while in prison, what else will he have to fall back on?
It is essential, if you are going to reform the prisoner, to change his life's pursuits. You don't reform a man unless you change the course of life he is on. You must change his interests, hobbies and pursuits, or you won't change the person. Part of that, is giving him a way of making a living that he will love, enjoy, and be able to pay the bills with.
Oh, I would not allow them to become rich, but I do see value in letting prisoners develop their skills, or express the ones they already have, through self-employment while within the prison walls. I believe in a prison that rehabilitates prisoners. I dream of a prison that turns them out as productive members of society. I believe in giving the prisoner a dream, something to live for besides crime. I believe in giving his life meaning, purpose, and passion.
If you would turn him from a life of crime, give him something else to pursue. When he exits that prison, make him a person who has purpose, who doesn't need to thief or steal or sell drugs because he has learned other and legitimate ways of making a living. Make him a person who has developed a passion for doing something else.
If you don't develop him professionally, when he leaves prison, he will probably return to the same interests and pursuits he had when he got in. If a life of crime is all he knows, if making a living has always depended on it, and he wasn't taught anything else while in prison, what else will he have to fall back on?
It is essential, if you are going to reform the prisoner, to change his life's pursuits. You don't reform a man unless you change the course of life he is on. You must change his interests, hobbies and pursuits, or you won't change the person. Part of that, is giving him a way of making a living that he will love, enjoy, and be able to pay the bills with.
Monday, June 8, 2015
Teach Them to Respond to the Situation Differently
What if you decided that as part of reforming the prisoner, you need to teach him the right way to handle the situation that landed him in prison in the first place? I would guess, some counseling already does this.
But, I would guess we only touch the surface of what needs to be done.
If the criminal raped someone, teach them how to deal with their sexual urges. Teach them that they can be denied. I'm not talking just a lesson once or twice while the prisoner is there, but rather working with him throughout his time in prison.
If the criminal struck his wife with his fist, teach him ways of responding when different situations arise that might lead him to anger. Teach him to control his anger. And, again, I'm not talking teaching just a little, but rather I speak of a committed, maybe even daily effort to show the prisoner how he needs to change.
I guess we would call it, getting to the root of the problem. If we don't teach the prisoner to react differently next time, we probably should expect to get the same reaction when the next time does roll around.
Why we don't provide in-depth efforts to train the criminal this way is beyond me. Nothing taught, is nothing learned. He won't learn to do differently unless we spend a huge amount of time teaching him how to react better to the situation that landed him there.
But, I would guess we only touch the surface of what needs to be done.
If the criminal raped someone, teach them how to deal with their sexual urges. Teach them that they can be denied. I'm not talking just a lesson once or twice while the prisoner is there, but rather working with him throughout his time in prison.
If the criminal struck his wife with his fist, teach him ways of responding when different situations arise that might lead him to anger. Teach him to control his anger. And, again, I'm not talking teaching just a little, but rather I speak of a committed, maybe even daily effort to show the prisoner how he needs to change.
I guess we would call it, getting to the root of the problem. If we don't teach the prisoner to react differently next time, we probably should expect to get the same reaction when the next time does roll around.
Why we don't provide in-depth efforts to train the criminal this way is beyond me. Nothing taught, is nothing learned. He won't learn to do differently unless we spend a huge amount of time teaching him how to react better to the situation that landed him there.
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