Isabella Fresquez

Juile Robertrs

English1010

Rehabilitation

Would you rather live next to a Sexual predator or a violent offender? It’s the same thing,

you could be emotionally, physically and mentally affected by either of these offenders, but yet

the only people who are able to rehabilitate themselves are sexual offenders. We have left our

violent offenders in the dark with no hope of programs to help them rehabilitate themselves. I'm

knowledgeable about this topic because I've seen and known people who have been affected by

these injustices. My hopes are for you to believe in second chances and rehabilitation for violent

offenders.I will be going over how everyone should be treated equally, As well as how the lack

of programming leads to the lack of opportunity and how we can help as a society.

What does the 14 amendment mean to you? Everyone should be treated equally. In an interview

I conducted with Ritchie Arellano, a previously convicted felon he states “it shouldn’t be based

on your crime or how much time you are doing . To Determine the treatment you received while

incarcerated. A violent criminal doesn’t receive the same treatment as a drug addict or sex

offender. Etc.in the fact that other parties get programming while violent offenders spend their

time in segregation. if the judicial system was equal and treated everyone the same no matter

what the crime is or how severe or not severe everybody should get a chance to rehabilitate

themselves back into society otherwise there is no justice in the system the system is corrupt.”
So what does the 14th amendment mean here according to a website called interactive

constitution created by the national constitution center It says, “... nor shall any State deprive any

person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its

jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws”. by denying these individuals the chance of

rehabilitation the justice system is depriving them of their due process and the equal protection

of the law which states that its the citizens entitlement to be treated equally throughout the

normal judicial system.

The lack of programming leads to lack of opportunity, But yet there's so many programs on a

website called corrections.utah.gov it explains the programs offered in utah prisons such as

Educational, Employment, Life skills, Conquest, HOPE, Excel...etc all these programs leave so

much opportunity for inmates which is good but none of these programs are offered to these

violent offenders so where is the justice and equality in that. In an article called rehabilitating

violent offenders is possible why aren't we doing it written by Rebecca Mcray she talks about

how these violent offenders are just punished to solitary confinement which consists of spending

up to 23 hours a day of isolation in 7 by 12ft cells sometimes years at a time. For these prisoners

—even for those who will ultimately be released—supportive programming or rehabilitation is

almost nonexistent. which results in why we have multiple violent offenders that are returning to

prison for violating their parole/probation, because they were not offered these rehabilitation

programs hence The Lack Of Programs leads To The Lack Of Opportunity. In an article called

our criminal justice system is meant to inflict pain here's how we can heal it written by Van

Jones he talks about the first step act and in it he says, “the first step act began with a recognition

that prisons can't just be places of punishment. They must also create opportunities for
rehabilitation and transformation. The law expands programming throughout the federal prison

system and adds incentives that encourage men and women to pursue classes that will help them

successfully return to their families and communities. It also scaled back some of the harshest

criminal penalties like mandatory life sentences for third-strike drug offenses and retroactively

applied other reforms to give thousands of people an opportunity to petition a judge for their

freedom. “ so basically violent offenders should have these options open for them but they are

being withheld because of the hardcore labling and sterotypes such as people refering to them as

unteatable sicopaths that will manipulate you hangs over them and no one every thinks to give a

violent person a secound chance.

Now that we have seen these injustice factors of programming in prisons. How we can help! we

can help by supporting the agencies out there that are aimed to incapacitate this problem

agencies such as Prisoner FellowShip International, Reaching out within ect. In an article called

rehabilitating violent offenders is possible why aren't we doing it written by Rebecca Mcray she

writes about how James Gilligan a psychiatrist who has previously worked in prison programs

for violent offenders sees no alternative. In San Francisco, his team calculated that the level of

re-offending and re-incarceration was so low for participants that the intensive program saved

taxpayers $4 for every $1 spent on it.“It’s an investment that pays itself off,” said Gilligan. “The

question is not can we afford to have a program like this in our prisons and jails but can we

afford not to. Right now, we’re wasting money and wasting human lives. We’re making the

community less safe.” Therefore we have the funding for it which is why we have so many

programs but we aren't letting these violent offenders participate in these already fluctuating
programs. For people in solitary confinement extra curricular activities are non-existent because

of the twenty-three hour lock down leaving thirty min of free time in a bigger box.

In conclusion due to the 14th amendment Everyone should be treated equally therefore there

should be no segregation between who can do what programming since there are so many

programs offered. As well as for the first step act states prisons can't just be a place of

punishment they also have to be a place of rehabilitation . As a state we can already afford it for

non violent offenders so what's the hassle more rehabilitation less population. How can we have

justice in the system if the system is corrupt? So you tell me would you rather live next to a

sexual predator or violent offender?