It a Hard Knock Life

2328 Words10 Pages
It’s a Hard Knock Life Sending people to jail when they've done something wrong is an exceptionally good idea. After all they deserve the punishment they get because a law was broken. This is a true statement but just like there are advantages to this system there are disadvantages as well. “There are many like me who made a one-time only mistake that has resulted in a lifetime of punishment. That unwarranted punishment is, in effect, a civil death sentence because of the barriers to meaningful employment created by that sigma. We regret our mistakes, we do not intend to repeat them, we have worked hard to overcome them and improve ourselves. We only want our lives back and we deserve a Second Chance." Jaime Woodard There are many philosophies of incarceration. For some the purpose of prison is to protect society from criminals who intend to harm innocent civilians. For others a prison's purpose is to rehabilitate citizens who need skills to become upstanding members of society. Still others believe that a prison provides a way for criminals to be punished and therefore pay their debt to society. Whatever the reason may be convicted felons face a number of difficulties in attempting to reintegrate themselves into society. The difficulty in finding work is well documented. Convicted felons may also find it difficult to find accommodations or to participate in many areas of life that most Americans take for granted. Many individuals and groups consider this circumstance to be part of the just punishment for those who break the law, even if such punishment persists well after the convicted felons have completed their sentences. What is the justice in that? After serving one’s time a felon should become just like every other human being in the world being justified by their jail sentence. Sometimes, prisoners who have done wrong spend time in jail learning about how
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