Newspapers / Elizabeth City State University … / April 17, 1998, edition 1 / Page 2
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2 The Compass Friday, April 17, 1998 Mi a{ £Kl/: by Franklin Scott and Jemayne King Do you feel safe on campus Kuchambi Hayden Junior, Portsmouth, Va. "I feel safe but not because of campus police. They aren't doing anything." Rachel Leone Freshman, Creswell, N.C. "Yes, the students here are friendly and security is always around." Barry (B-Monk) Junior, Pamlico, N.C. "I don't feel safe. Anybody can carry a gun or a knife. It's not safe." Vonice Brawn Freshman, Elizabeth City, N.C. "1 don't live on campus but when I'm here I feel safe." Guest Column Former prison inmates need help: job skills, education, faith in order to rebuild their lives by Renesha Collier Allen Cavell, a convicted drug dealer from Richmond, Virginia, was recently released from prison. In a telephone interview, he said that without the help of barber school, he would be unem ployed. "No one is willing to give a young black man straight out of prison a chance," he said. "People don't thirik we can change." After a person has been incarcerated, going home can be a difficult task. "Jail birds " are usually viewed by the busi ness community with suspicion. Since most businesses discriminate against ex-cons when it comes to hiring, how is an individual expected to make a fresh start? While 1 don't believe this is strictly a race issue, I do believe that the govern ment should provide mandatory pro grams and educational opportunities to assist former prison irmiates with rebuilding their lives after jail. Not only will rehabilitative programs help build discipline and self-esteem, they will also help individuals like Cavell re-enter society with a fresh start. There is a tendency to demonize criminals, but in actuality most of them are not that different from law-abiding citizens. They have names, faces and families just like us. But, unlike us, many of them have displayed poor judgement and made bad choices— which have resulted in their being be hind bars. Rehabilitation programs will give former prisoners an opportvmity to leam valuable job skills, to include vo cational training and other education as needed. Most criminals have had rough childhoods, which is a contrib uting factor to their lives of crime. Abuse, neglect, drug use, alcholism, fighting parents, no emphasis on schooling and the lack of encourage ment and love are all factors that can cause a person to turn to a life of crime. By not finding what they need at home, many young people look elsewhere, such as the streets. Rehabilitation programs can give them a valuable second chance to live a more positive Ufe, by providing them with the knowledge and skills they need to survive "off the streets." Learning communication skills wiU help them with filing out applications, going through the interviewing pro cess, and choosing proper attire. Voca tional training can offer actual hands- on experience and can teach skills in auto mechanics, electronics, comput ers, landscaping, cosmetology, childcare, nursing, and a host of other vocations. Remedial programs can as sist high school dropouts in earning a diploma, which, in turn, can lead to them furthering their education. If this sounds like a lot of expense, consider that it costs about $50,000 a year to keep a prisoner behind bars. Who foots this bill? The taxpayers. Doesn't it make sense to corisider ways we can cut down on this expense? Rehabilitation programs—much less costly than prison—can cause a dra matic transformation in a person's Ufe, allowing him the opportimity to make a positive contribution to society. While rehabilitation programs may be an efficient and productive remedy, many people feel that prisoners have wronged society and should not be given another chance. They believe prisoners should not be helped because "they brought their problems on them selves." However, several studies have shown that many former prisoners who return to a life of crime do so because they lack the opportunity to pursue legitimate careers. Many ex-convicts don't feel as if they are a valuable part of society. This sense of not belonging is the inevitable result of being locked up in a cage. Society, too, looks on these individu- cils as if they are worthless and irre sponsible. We should not forget that people in jail are, in fact, people. Moreover, many people who have made valuable contributions to society have been jailed, including Joan of Arc, Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela. Despite their having been in prison, these people brought about many posi tive changes in the way we live. More over, they are celebrated all over the world. Perhaps there are more former pris oners who could bring about equally valuable changes, if given the oppor tunity. By providing a sense of community, self-confidence and guidance, we can make a change in many former prison ers' Hves. If our communities accept these individuals and try to help them, we can produce rehabilitated individu als who can make positive contribu tions to the societies in which they re side.
Elizabeth City State University Student Newspaper
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