Unrehabilitated

I remember a presidential debate a while back--I think it was Al Gore and George W. Bush. Anyway, the moderator asked W. something about the men who dragged James Byrd to his death. W. got all twitchy and a little gleeful and said, ''The three men who -- who murdered James Byrd. Guess what's going to happen to them? They're going to be put to death. A jury found them guilty and -- it's going to be hard to punish them any worse after they get put to death."

I thought of W.'s cluelessness as I read this morning's Plain Dealer at the stop lights. the paper said Anthony Sowell (above), the man convicted of rape and in whose home Cleveland police found six dead bodies, was repeatedly denied parole because of "the serious nature" of his crime. It also says Sowell did not receive sex-offender treatment, even though he requested it.

So the prison industrial complex had enough sense to keep Sowell locked up, but not enough to help heal him while he was incarcerated. Six dead bodies says that was a bad call.

W. 's "Texas Solution" to crime--the focus on punishment and not the person--is how most people see criminals. They are people to be thrown away-- locked up and, if necessary, executed. But what happens when they re-enter the community? Something like six thousand ex-offenders return to Cuyahoga County every year. Sure, you do the crime, you do the time. But our prisons are inhumane and violent ( rape and sexual abuse are rampant) with little emphasis on rehabilitation--do you want those raw and angry souls released back into your community without therapy?

The PD says Sowell tried to help himself. He took courses to help him with his anger "Living without Violence," "Cage your Rage," and "Positive Personal Change."

Gee, why didn't they just give him a copy of The Secret?!

The man had a serious mental problem. He knew he needed help. He also joined Alcoholics Anonymous, Adult Children of Alcoholics, and "Drug Awareness Prevention." He asked for help. He didn't get it.

Instead of focusing on the gory details of Sowell's murdering spree, I hope someone at the Plain Dealer investigates the Ohio Prison system (one of the largest in the country) to see if there's some way to make serving time about preparing people to re-enter society and not "Oz."

Or they could put a whole bunch of new half-way houses in Rocky River. That'd be something!