REHABILITATION
I’ve been gone 5 years, in some of the more violent prisons the country has to offer. I’m currently in the process of going to SuperMax -- 23/1, lockdown. I find that at all of these institutions there is no rehabilitation taking place. The term “lock them up and throw away the key” rings true. At the maximum security federal penitentiaries there’s no college courses offered. You can only get into GED classes. The administrations just wait until inmates stab each other, then lock the institution down. We come off lockdown and the same thing happens again. More stabbings, more lockdowns. Vicious cycle. I believe that if we were offered more programs, we’d have something else to focus on, besides the negative. College courses. Trades, such as masonry, electrician, etc. The fact of the matter is we have to rehabilitate ourselves, prepare ourselves to be successful in the streets.
I have 4 years left, and I’m nervous. After being locked in a cage for what will be over 9 years, it’s gonna take extreme mental toughness to make it at home. I know I’m now strong enough. The sad truth is, a lot of others are not.
There are over 3 million incarcerated Americans, and counting. To bring that number down, don’t just lock us up and throw away the key. What happens when you lock a dog in a cage for an extended period of time? My point exactly.