Having spent more than half of my life in prison, I can vividly recall the days when society responded to the needs for prison reform. Mobs of protestors stood outside of prison walls “megaphoning” and picketing against inhumane conditions while businessmen came inside to offer inmates jobs upon their release.

     Along with the businessmen came college students to share their insights and musicians with melodies to soothe one’s soul. Housewives brought in baked cookies as magicians, hula dancers, and comedians took the stage to lift the prisoner’s spirits. The Jaycee’s and gavel clubs came in to recruit members and church groups from every denomination held hands with prisoners in song and prayer…………

The war on crime is a positive war, but its failure to provide the convicted with effective rehabilitation plugs it into an ongoing cycle. The prison reform movement created conditions for thousands of prisoners to transform their lives and return to society with healthy and positive outlooks- outlooks that influenced and corrected the troubled youths of their communities. Today, a few prisoners are returning with positive outlooks, but on the whole, prisons are pumping scores of lifeless beings back into society. Beings who had no chance at rehabilitation, Beings with no sense of direction, no feelings of consequence, no regards for others, no senses of morality and a hardened contagious attitude that affects and infects our children of tomorrow.

     How many Frankensteins will it take for us to close down the prison labs, and replace them with substances of rehabilitation? How many lives will be lost? How many establishments will be robbed? How many crimes will be committed before we realize that today’s war on crime has to be adjusted to include a real concern for prisoners who are walking around like zombies? How many years will it take for society to warm up again and reassert its sense of compassion? A year? Five years? 10?

      Whatever, just bear in mind that hundreds of ex-prisoners have been released today and another group will be free tomorrow.