Thursday, December 22, 2005

Prisoners

I was thinking today, not for the first time, that we should do something with our prisoners. Sure, we could set them to work doing menial labor - but we already do that, and while we do get some use out of them, they don't benefit much from it. They are returned to the world beaten men, without skills or money. So of course they get arrested again. And while we could continue as we are - raising taxes and building ever more prisons - I'm not happy with that.
Who does it benefit to re-arrest these men, time and time again? Not me. I pay for them. And yet I get no benefit - there is a reduction in crime, but the lack of negative action is not the same as the presence of the positive. They do not benefit, either: in prison they make almost no money, no real friends, and no useful skills. Even if they do stay clean after their sentences, they have records that will haunt them - records that make employment difficult.
Our prisons are full. So full, in fact, that many have to parole prisoners early, just to free up space. There are nearly two million imprisoned at this moment, and so I say the time is right for something new.

We could provide job-training, forgive lesser criminals, and give money with which to start new lives. But no one wants to pay criminals, and chances are most of them wouldn't take it seriously.

My thoughts are not so original: we need to train these prisoners, at least the promising ones, and give them a new path in life. We also need more soldiers.


The military most likely does not want criminals in its ranks. And neither would I. Instead, I would create a new branch - the American Foreign Legion. It would accept anyone seeking a fresh start, offering a clean record and American citizenship to those able to fulfill their contract.
Criminals would be free to choose whether to serve time in prison, or in the Legion. The Legion would be under no obligation to accept them, and could thus weed out some of the worst from the start. Training would be brutal, of course, and discipline harsh. Those who made it through training would make it into the Legion; those who did not would return to prison.

These soldiers would be paid like any others, and would learn discipline, trust, and honor, as well as pride in themselves and in their country. They would be sent wherever they were needed, and would not require the large bases that ordinary units require: they would have no families.
Remember, they are new men, with no past.

At the end of their commitment they would be free, with new skills, money, and clean records. If they so desired, they could remain in the Legion. Or they could join one of the other armed services. But they would be under no obligation to do so - after all, they have met their obligation, and been forgiven.

This would decrease crowding at jails to some degree, though that would depend on a decent number graduating from training; it would teach prisoners valuable skills, as well as give them money and clean records for life after the sentence; and it would provide us with more manpower. It would probably cost more than current programs, but this money would be well-spent. After all, better a man should feed himself than we should feed him. A jailed man benefits no one, whereas a free man, working, benefits all. And most importantly, don't we in this country believe in forgiveness, and in new beginnings?

I see this as a system that can benefit everyone.