4 ms·
From prisoner to Supreme Court practitioner
- ghshephard 17y agoWhat's a little sad about this story is that is news because it's so incredibly rare - someone returning from the American Penal system and being able to live a productive life. It's disappointing how a supposedly "civilized first world nation" is so overly focused on revenge and punishment, and so little focused on rehabilitation. So many jobs, these days, will not consider you if you have a felony record. And, it's getting easier and easier to do a background check - so, a single misstep in life and it basically eliminates your chances to every recover. It's nice to see someone make good after screwing up.
- philk 17y agoThe problem is that a nuanced approach to rehabilitation doesn't win as many votes as being "tough on crime".
- pmjoyce 17y agoMaybe because politicians obsess on selling the features of their "tough on crime" policy versus the benefits of the rehabilitation such as lower re-offending rates and cheaper execution. It's an easier sell and doesn't take much explanation.
- philk 17y agoI can think of a few more reasons too: 1) Rehabilitation and its benefits can't be as simply explained. In politics, where the other side will be scrutinising your every word for something they can twist out of context, simple = good. You want a simple message and you want to repeat it endlessly. 2) There are powerful interests that benefit from the current prison system - private prison operators and prison guard unions to name two. 3) Rehabilitation won't always work. If you endorse it, and even one prisoner gets out and rapes/murders someone your opponents will drag your name (and career) through the mud. "Person X would still be alive today if not for Candidate Y!" sort of things.
- adamc 17y agoThe other problem is that you can't make people rehabilitate; in the end, it's up to them. While I would support a prison system that provided better opportunities for rehabilitation, it is not clear to me what percentage of recidivism that would reduce.
- grannyg00se 17y agoI'd submit that the problem is further exacerbated by the general population's impression that "tough on crime" means more jails and more arrests. In fact, if someone were to truly be interested in reducing crime, they'd go after poverty. This means reducing the rich/poor gap. And that is a slippery slope that leads people to calling you "-ist" names if they're interested in maintaining the status quo. So I'd say that the problem lies with the lack of insight in the general population.
- pyre 17y agoI think that it's more of an interesting piece because he found something that he excelled at while he was behind bars. He was even able to be productive while still in prison. Not many people will really find a profession that they click with the way that he has regardless of whether or not they are in jail.
- anamax 17y ago> It's disappointing how a supposedly "civilized first world nation" is so overly focused on revenge and punishment, and so little focused on rehabilitation. You seem to be assuming that rehabilitation would work, if it weren't for {insert bogey-man}. How about some evidence beyond "wouldn't it be great if we rehabbed more folks?" > And, it's getting easier and easier to do a background check - so, a single misstep in life and it basically eliminates your chances to every recover. If you're correct that ex-cons are a tremendous untapped asset, there's a huge economic advantage to tapping them. Why do you think that "everyone" is ignoring that resource if it's actually real? Note that most felons in the US have a long history of "not felonies", a history that most people don't have. In the (paraphrased) words of Law and Order "His parole officer says that he's a good kid" "Yeah, all the best kids have parole officers".
- roundsquare 17y agoInteresting story. Maybe one of the few times in law that skill trumps status.
- vishaldpatel 17y agoYeah great "risk" she was taking.