BEYOND REHAB: A CALL FOR EFFECTIVE CHANGE

"The problem I'm going to have answering this question is that how sure are we that those we call criminals are indeed criminals? Most times, we see innocent people go to prison for crimes they don't even know anything about, and then the main criminals are somewhere living their best lives, still committing more crimes. Rehab? Prison? If you ask me, yes, those places are good, but trust me, none of them are really after stopping criminals for real because the crimes are even increasing on a daily basis!

The purpose of rehabilitation is totally defeated if the wrong people are taken there, and that applies to prisons too. Most times, we see that some people who are not guilty of a crime choose to cover up for the one who was actually guilty, and most times, especially in a country like mine, there might be no further investigations, and that is how that person will be in jail or even be executed for a crime they know nothing about. And this has lingered on for so long that now it's a normal thing.

Rehab is not going to be effective in any way except the right culprits are the ones there. But still, I don't believe rehab is the best place for criminals; the government can do more to change the minds of criminals than taking them to rehabs. Do you know just how expensive it is to keep someone in a rehab? It is damn expensive, and for me, even if the person repents, it's still a waste of resources because there are so many other ways to go about changing the heart of a criminal.

Well, I've not been to prison before, so what do I really know? But then, naturally, humans change due to so many factors surrounding them, and one of those factors is the environment. Most criminals are criminals thanks to the environment they find themselves in, and even if a rehab center works, guess what, it worked because it was a different environment, and those there are just trying to adjust to it. But some people aren't going to adjust because they know that the aim of being there is to change them, and they might not want that, and so they tend to fight that change.

I don't believe in rehabs because maybe I don't know exactly what it is and how it helps to change those that are there. I believe in getting to the root of the matter and punishing the true criminal and not just anyone that looks like the criminal because, unless the real culprit is apprehended, that crime would only get worse.

Rehab for me is a good opportunity for camouflage, and it's definitely not going to give a good result in the long run because some people already have the mind that they should just cooperate and get out of there ASAP. The best way to change a person for me is changing his or her environment and the people, the mindset, the culture, everything, if possible.

But the problem is, having people trust someone who is termed a criminal can be hard to accommodate by people, and that might still be a problem. So the best way to help is if the prison can be a place for engagement and not just torture and torment. People who go to prison are most times idle people, and trust me, that will only give them room to devise more evil. But if they can get occupied with something, I believe that will be a great way to take their minds off evil.

The government shouldn't just keep some part of her population somewhere, doing nothing but undergoing torture, when they could actually use them to generate revenue for the country. Well, I have so much to say, but I'd love to keep it this way for now and maybe talk more in the comments if need be.”

This is my response to the Hivelearners topic on ”DO YOU BELIEVE IN REHAB?”.