This article about one of the most secure federal prisons in America got me to thinking.
Try to put aside the emotional influence of the victims' pain or the brutality of the inmates' crimes for just a moment. Difficult to do, and I've known very few people who could be 100% objective in these circumstances, but let's all test ourselves briefly.
First, jail does nothing to rehabilitate anyone. Matter of factly, one might say that the penal system is more instructor and less facilitator. The federal prison discussed in the article does not allow its' inmates to have contact with anyone on the outside--even their own families.
Is that necessarily right? Even the most evil of men (and women) have some rights as human beings, right?
The inmates are someones' son or father or husband. Many parents tell their children, "There's nothing that you could do to make me stop loving you." And if a mother or father is strong enough and loving enough to have truly meant that, shouldn't they be allowed to show their child that they still care? It's easy to see only the horror of the crime, but we forget that a human being is still a human being and somewhere somehow, someone has the courage and conviction to love them.
I'm not a Christian, and I DO NOT believe in God, and I myself am a bit shocked that I would have this perspective. But if I am to ever be convinced that God truly forgives everyone who asks for forgiveness, then I have to believe in this opinion.
What are your thoughts? Concerns? Questions? Comments? Or just unleash your own rant.
Source: MSNBC.com - Isolating the menace in a sterile ‘supermax’
More Information Link: American Civil Liberties Union - Prisoners' Rights
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