Does rehabilation work?
Talk about rehabilitation and those "tough on crime" types label you a bleeding heart liberal. In thier view, rehabilation is not the primary goal of punishment. Instead, they want to send everyone away as long as possible. In thier view, lenghty prison sentences will deter others from committing similar crimes, and the offender will learn his lesson. Of course, the evidence over the 50 last years doesn't support that, but why let a little thing like logic get in the way.
The fact is, most people in prison are going to get out someday. Society has an interest in making sure they can make a succesful re-entry. Unfortunately, that reality is too often ignored. If you need evidence, you only need look where budgets are cut when times get tough - generally in rehabilitation services.
Some gains are being made, and Texas has started to see benefits from the push to come up with alternatives to revoking a person's probation. Other states are being forced to limit their prison populations.
All this is background for a story I recently came across that I found fascinating. Michael Eubanks spent 31 years in prison for capital murder, and was finally released on parole. Before his release, he participated in a pre-releas program based at a Christian prison in Sugarland. One of the courses was taught by former Harris County District Attorney Carol Vance. Never one to be described as soft on crime, Vance actually prosecuted Eubanks and tried to sentence him to death. You have to wonder what Eubanks thoughts when he walked in saw Vance.
The reaction was anything but expected. Eubanks said although at one time he hated Vance, he had come to admire him. As for Vance, he said he would trust Eubanks as a next door neighbor - huh! Maybe this rehabilation thing really can work.
