According to the U.S. Department of Justice, “Of the 272,111 persons released from prisons in fifteen States in 1994, an estimated 67.5% were rearrested for a felony or serious misdemeanor within three years, 46.9% were re convicted, and 25.4% re sentenced to prison for a new crime. The 272,111 offenders released in 1994 accounted for nearly 4,877,000 arrest charges over their recorded careers.” (U.S. Department of Justice)

The amount of crimes that were committed by this group of offenders is more than just a number of 4,877,000. This number also represents the amount of destruction and gross violation of the law that was afflicted by the offenders upon society; such acts as, robberies, murders, rapes, thefts, carjacking, assaults, kidnappings, fraud, embezzlement and a host of other crimes against humanity. These crimes can effect people and destroy lives. One main tool that can be used to help stop crime and re offending behavior is the implementation of mandatory rehabilitation upon offenders being released from prison.

Is there a “blanket” solution for recidivism in criminal behavior? No, there is no sure fire way to curve the impulse of an ex-offender, re offending. Often times there is more than one driving force that pushes a person to commit a crime, let alone re offend; such as social environment, economic status, education, mental mind state etc;. Since there is more than one driving force that pushes people to commit crime. It will take more than prison to help assimilate and convert the offender to normal society again upon release. But with a combination of prison and mandatory rehabilitation, both can work in tandem and have a ying/yang like effect. Prison can be used to punish the individual and after time is served and debt is paid to society this person can receive the rehabilitation that is needed to reassimilate him or herself back into the common society and strive to become a productive citizen again.

A person who commits a crime should be punished to the full extent of the law. A person should be found guilty, convicted and sentenced to serve time in prison.
Civilized society has the natural right to live without crime. But what happens when a person is released from prison without mandatory intervention? If a person was convicted of murder and sentenced to serve ten years in prison, does this person still have the same murderous criminal intent as when he or she entered prison ten years prior? The answer to this question society will never know, without government implementing mandatory rehabilitation of offenders upon release back to society. Rehabilitation is a key component that is defiantly needed after a person has spent any amount of time being incarcerated. Prison life is extremely different than normal society.

Prison is an institutionalized society within itself, filled with the most hardened criminals. Prison is a place that murders, rapist, robbers and any other person that has committed a crime is a sent to, too serve their sentence out which can range from three years to twenty years. The culture of prison life is different than civilized society. It is a place that is overcrowded; it’s a place that many inmates have endured sexual and mental abuse from the hands of other prisoners, some inmates commit suicide, some have even been murdered by the hands of other inmates. Most prisoners have to live in a state of paranoia not knowing from day to day what might happen next. Living conditions in some prisons are not the best.

Sid Hawk Byrd, a repeat felon serving life in prison, in his article”Life and Death in a Cold, Lonely Cell” he shares his first hand experience of prison life” Years ago when I first entered the Texas prison system, I was shocked by the treatment and conditions prisoners are forced to endure…., Long-term solitary confinement produces an assortment of psychological reactions. Few prisoners are unaffected. Reaction is evident in behaviors that range from the withdrawn, reclusive personality to the hyper verbally combative paranoid types. Many prisoners have been placed on antipsychotic drugs. Most of these individuals’ are not suffering from the normal or common, mental issues. They are developing stress, depression, and psychotic behavior that is a product of the treatment, conditions, and isolation they are forced to live with. Many people are unable to cope.” (Byrd)

These are the conditions and environment most offenders will have to endure for the duration of their sentence while in prison. But, if an offender is not serving a life term in prison, at some point he or she will be released back into society. Can some ex offenders cope coming from the culture of prison life and immediately being thrust back into a civilized world? Some can. Some can’t.

Often times when they are released from prison ex convicts are given their original belongs when they arrived to prison such as clothing or items they acquired during their stay in prison. They are given between five and 200 dollars or less from the state and whatever money they have acquired while in prison from working and/or receiving money from family and friends, a free ride by bus or van driven by a C.O. (Corrections Officer) to the nearest town/city and left to face society “the real world” on their own after being detached from society for a number of years.

In his article” Upon release from prison, some can feel lost”

Charisse Jones, an award winning journalist and correspondent for USA Today, explains the plight of an ex offenders journey back into civilian life” At least 95% of all state prison inmates will eventually be freed, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, prompting communities to reconsider how they deal with hundreds of thousands of inmates released every year from correctional facilities… The failure of many ex-inmates to make it on the outside has a far more visceral impact than simply straining budgets, because most return to specific cities and neighborhoods, often overburdening social services, disrupting families and jeopardizing public safety, say politicians and crime experts. “(Jones)

The main fact that society should understand is the issue that most offenders will be released at some point. These people will be moving back into neighborhoods, cities and towns across America. Although with the information that is known about prison life and the statistics showing that at least 95% of ex convicts will be released from prison at some point and most with no rehabilitation. Some people and groups oppose the idea of mandatory rehabilitation.

There are a number of reasons why society feels that rehabilitation does not work. The idea that if a person does the crime they should do the time. The idea of coming down hard on criminals and throwing away the key. Some even believe the current prison system actually works. According to Prof. John J. DiIulio, Jr., professor of politics (Princeton), in his article for the Wall Street Journal “Prisons are a Bargain, by Any Measure”. Mr. DiIulio explains his position “On average, it costs about $25,000 a year to keep a convicted criminal in prison. For that money, society gets four benefits: Imprisonment punishes offenders and expresses society's moral disapproval. It teaches felons and would-be felons a lesson: Do crime, do time. Prisoners get drug treatment and education. And, as the columnist Ben Wattenberg has noted, "A thug in prison can't shoot your sister." …Prison definitely pays.”(DiIulio) Many also believe crime really isn’t as bad as it is reported. Some feel that the media over hypes violent crimes and only focuses on small localized incidents of crime and overexpose these situations and impose fear into the public. It should be noted that those that do oppose rehabilitation and reform, downplay the facts of crime or believe in “throwing away the key on criminals” have that right to do so. But it is also worth noting, that this is a very tight rope of “idealism” to balance on.

The age old idea of locking up criminals who commit crime, make them serve their sentence, throwing the book at them and tossing away the key must be reevaluated. The implementation of mandatory rehabilitation in America’s prison system has less to do with the actual offender, but more to do with the financial burden and the harm that is inflicted upon the common people in society. Michael O'McCarthy, activist and journalist in his article “USA, the World's Largest Prison” written for AOLnews.com in 2006. He cites some interesting statistics from the Department Of Justice “According to the DOJ (Department Of Justice) just released a report that the U.S. now has a record 7 million people -- or one in every 32 American adults -- behind bars, on probation or on parole by the end of last year (2005). Of those, 2,193,798 were in prison or jail…the cost per year: $25,000.00 - $30,000.00. Taking the more conservative figure of $25,000 (which represents both cost of providing security and/or parenthetically, that which reflects the level of inadequate care or uncivilized conditions,) that comes out to approximately $60 billion a year.”( McCarthy) Most of this cost is paid by the American tax payer. If paid back one dollar a second, it would take thirty-one years, 259 days, one hour, forty-six minutes, and forty seconds to pay back just $1 billion dollars. With this being said, $60 billion dollars a year is a “gargantuan” amount of money to spend on anything that does not reap or sow any long or short term benefits. This amount of money that is used to house criminals and re offenders could also be used for rehabilitation and other social problems such as, homelessness, hunger, AIDS research, cancer research, provide better equipment for U.S. troops and a host of other social issues and problems.

Society is like a two-sided coin, on one side as long as the earth is populated with human beings there will always be those that respect the rule of law in a civilized society and, on the other side of the coin, there will also be those who will go against the ethically right way and choose to harm and disrupt the calm of society. Those who choose to go against the rule of law will always be here; they will not disappear, go away, stay incarcerated forever or stop re offending. These two parts of society will always have to live side by side, so two questions arise from the information provided here. Should the American government continue to allow criminals in and out of prison and society without mandatory rehabilitation? And Will Americans ever tire with footing the bill for a prison system that is siphoning billions of dollars in tax money, but not reaping any consistent results?

There have been positive strides made and forward steps taken by the government to move toward criminal rehabilitation and reform. On April 9, 2008 President George W. Bush in front of members of congress, signed H.R.1593, the Second Chance Act of 2007. What this piece of legislation aims to do is to develop programs which includes job training, drub abuse awareness, housing, family unity, medical issues, financial development and also provides mentoring for ex offenders. This is all in an effort to help put an end to the high recidivism rate, make the streets a little safer and lower the cost on tax payers. The person that has committed a crime paid his or her dues to society and is ready to return back to civilized life and become a productive citizen again. The Second Chance Act of 2007 was signed into law for this individual. To provide him or her with the tools that’s need to become a productive citizen again; likewise, the person that chooses not utilize this resource and plans to continue to commit crime upon release and not reform to civilized society. There is also a way to help this person and that is called prison. If a person is not willing to help themselves why society should, try to help them. So is there some reasoning at times to throw away the key on a repeat offender? Yes, as one saying says “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink” – author unknown.

Works Cited
U.S. Department of Justice. “Criminal Offenders Statistics – Recidivism.” US Department of Justice Homepage. 8 August 2007. 17 April 2008
Byrd, Hawk Sid. “Life and Death in a Cold Lonely Cell.” The Texas Observer. 16 November 2007. 18 April 2008
Jones, Charisse. “Upon release from prison, some can feel lost.” USA Today 14 December 2007 20 April 2008 < ">http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-12-13-excon-inside_N.htm>
Jr. DiIulio, J. John. “Prisons are a Bargain, by Any Measure.” The Brookings Institution
16 January 1996 26 April 2008
McCarthy, O’ Michael. “USA, the World's Largest Prison.” AOL News Online
30 November 2006 3 May 2008 < ">http://news.aol.com/elections-blog/2006/11/30/usa-the-worlds-largest-prison/>