Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Which would you consider to be the most effective: prison, halfway house, or rehabilitation program when compared to each other?

The question above presupposes that I know what the end goal is. I don’t. Prisons are extraordinarily effective at separating people from society. But they’re a dismal failure at preparing people who were convicted of breaking laws for law-abiding lives upon release. Halfway houses provide temporary way station for prisoners who return to society and need a landing spot. Yet personal experience and anecdotal evidence suggest that halfway houses are ridiculously ineffective at providing resources or guidance for people who’ve been released from prison. I do not have any experience with “rehabilitation programs” that I would consider effective at preparing individuals for success. They may exist, but I never encountered any programs during the 9,500 days that I served as a prisoner that I would describe as being designed “to rehabilitate” individuals. Instead, administrators use “programs” as a mechanism to reduce inmate idleness because inmate idleness has been found threaten security. An effective rehabilitation program would encourage and incentivize a pursuit of excellence. I never experienced such a program while I served my sentence.

When we compare and contrast prisons, halfway houses, and rehabilitation programs for the purpose of determining which system would be most “effective,” we must acknowledged that each type of institution serves a different purpose. Prisons are designed to confine, to keep people separated from society. They’re very effective in that regard. Halfway houses may be a great solution against homelessness. I do not know any rehabilitation programs that are effective. They may exist—I just don’t know any.

 

Days since my release from prison: 456

Miles that I ran today: 1.25

Miles that I ran so far this week: 26.48

Miles that I’ve run during the month of November: 77.28

Miles that I ran so far in 2014: 2,127.42

Miles that I need to run in order to reach my annual goal of 2,400 miles: 272.58

Miles I’m ahead of schedule to reach my 2,400-mile goal by the end of 2014: 51.3

My weight for today: 168