Jail System - Rehabilitation or Breeding Ground for Criminals?

In an overcrowded, overworked jail system I pose the question is jail rehabilitating criminals or simply allowing them to brood?

I surveyed 76 women I was incarcerated with and here are my results: 73 were probation violators of otherwise repeat offenders, 56 had committed more than 5 crimes, 4 were charged with murder, 48 charged with drug related crimes and 21 were charged with prostitution.

These women are locked up together and allowed to discuss victories as well as defeats. Their crimes are common knowledge and widely discussed throughout the pod. They are allowed to discuss strategies tactics and how to better commit crimes. The only people that are offered help in changing are the drug addicts as they make up the largest crime base here.

Many of the women who are in the jail, upon their release will commit another crime. Those crimes will undoubtedly land them right back in the jails. It is an endless circle of crime and punishment. Where in this never-ending circle is the jail system reforming these people? There is no system for change. Change has to start from within and I don't deny that. These women turn back to crime because there is no legitimate way for many of them to live. A criminal record makes is near impossible to find a good job and closes the door to many housing opportunities. With nowhere left to turn they turn back to the crimes that led them to jail in the first place.

The world of today kicks people when they're down instead of helping them up. Before they're out of the jail doors, criminals should have the opportunity for change. There should be places or people they can go to for help and comfort. While in jail these criminals should be given the help that they need to change. Instead of locking criminals up in a jail cell to brood, cohort and scheme, there should be activities to occupy their minds. I know that jail is intended to be punishment but the habitual offenders are not punished by the current jail system. The current system punishes the one or two time offender and it scares them to where they will never commit another crime. But we are not focusing on the group that truly needs help. The career criminals are allowed to slip back through the cracks a little wiser but no worse for the ware.

As a society we need to focus on providing help and rehabilitation to these criminals before they become career criminals. We need to focus on developing programs that will allow the youth of today to change before they turn their lives to that of crime.