As the years go on we continue to have a steady increase in the number of criminals behind bars. Its to the point where we have our government officials building more jails. More jails and less fathers. More jails and less mothers, less mentors, less guiders. What is our world coming to? Why do we have more money invested in our justice system than we do our schools? If the government could possibly take a fraction of what they invest or make off the justice system and put it into the schools, than just maybe our children can see something more positive than negative. Maybe they can appreciate the places a good education will take them. Maybe they will learn that they don't have to be millionaires to live a happy and fulfilling life.
Parents,what are we doing? Granted the economy requires we work 1 sometimes 2 full time jobs just to care for our families. More times than not we are single parents trying to do it all on our own. But that means that we have to work twice as hard to make sure that our children stay on a good path. Get them into reading, sports, after school programs, extra curricular activities. Don't leave them with Dougy next door that you know sells crack for a living. Don't let money be an issue. Many of these programs offer scholarships and grants for struggling families. Write the essay while on your lunch break or on the train ride home. Sit your child down with you while your writing out your monthly bills so that they can learn good money habits. Its not going to be easy but it is a start.
A lot of first time offenders are arrested for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, or being ignorant to their surrounds or constitutional rights. More so, many become second and third time offenders due to the barriers that we as a society have in place. Many jobs won't hire an ex convict. They can't get financial aid for higher education. They can't get any type of government funded job. They are typically left with the lower bottom scale jobs if they can even get that. Why won't we hire an ex convict? How can we as a society expect them to prosper if we do not provide the tools for them to do so. No one asks for an easy road, but they can ask for a chance.
I can understand if they were convicted of a heinous crime, but marijuana possession in a minute amount? assault and battery while still a minor or in protection of a family member or loved one? Being convicted of only 1 crime their entire life? Who are we to say that this man or this woman is not a reformed person? Who are we to say that they have not learned their lesson? Do we not trust them to stay on a good track when anyone of us could easily be a criminal if put in the position to resort to it. Tell me something. If a man was holding you hostage while brutally beating your wife and you could break free, would you not severely beat that person, possibly even to death? You would.
Or maybe our problem is not with the convict. Maybe our problem is that we are scared. We cannot let go of our ignorance to their crimes. Maybe we are afraid that we could not be equal employers due to their pasts. We as a society like to turn up our noses to people not like us. We tend to think we are better than others not in the same social class as we are. We tend to turn our heads the other way when we see things that aren't right and pretend that they never happened or we never saw it. Well guess what? that makes us just as guilty as the criminals convicted of the crimes. That makes us just as guilty as the government officials that are making money off of our justice system. Now how do you feel about that? What if the person filling out that job application was actually innocent when convicted?
Parents,what are we doing? Granted the economy requires we work 1 sometimes 2 full time jobs just to care for our families. More times than not we are single parents trying to do it all on our own. But that means that we have to work twice as hard to make sure that our children stay on a good path. Get them into reading, sports, after school programs, extra curricular activities. Don't leave them with Dougy next door that you know sells crack for a living. Don't let money be an issue. Many of these programs offer scholarships and grants for struggling families. Write the essay while on your lunch break or on the train ride home. Sit your child down with you while your writing out your monthly bills so that they can learn good money habits. Its not going to be easy but it is a start.
A lot of first time offenders are arrested for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, or being ignorant to their surrounds or constitutional rights. More so, many become second and third time offenders due to the barriers that we as a society have in place. Many jobs won't hire an ex convict. They can't get financial aid for higher education. They can't get any type of government funded job. They are typically left with the lower bottom scale jobs if they can even get that. Why won't we hire an ex convict? How can we as a society expect them to prosper if we do not provide the tools for them to do so. No one asks for an easy road, but they can ask for a chance.
I can understand if they were convicted of a heinous crime, but marijuana possession in a minute amount? assault and battery while still a minor or in protection of a family member or loved one? Being convicted of only 1 crime their entire life? Who are we to say that this man or this woman is not a reformed person? Who are we to say that they have not learned their lesson? Do we not trust them to stay on a good track when anyone of us could easily be a criminal if put in the position to resort to it. Tell me something. If a man was holding you hostage while brutally beating your wife and you could break free, would you not severely beat that person, possibly even to death? You would.
Or maybe our problem is not with the convict. Maybe our problem is that we are scared. We cannot let go of our ignorance to their crimes. Maybe we are afraid that we could not be equal employers due to their pasts. We as a society like to turn up our noses to people not like us. We tend to think we are better than others not in the same social class as we are. We tend to turn our heads the other way when we see things that aren't right and pretend that they never happened or we never saw it. Well guess what? that makes us just as guilty as the criminals convicted of the crimes. That makes us just as guilty as the government officials that are making money off of our justice system. Now how do you feel about that? What if the person filling out that job application was actually innocent when convicted?
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