Interesting statement on American prisons.

[Fire$torm]

The following quote is an excerpt from a Yahoo News article titled "Insight: Florida man sees "cruel" face of U.S. justice" (Here (http://news.yahoo.com/insight-florida-man-sees-cruel-face-u-justice-050157061.html))

First allow me to preface this by stating I do believe criminals should be punished for their crimes. And Mr. Davis was in the wrong, period. But I also believe in judicial balance and offender rehabilitation. It is funny that so many are for "Locking them up and throwing away the key" until they are the ones in the hot seat. I have witnessed friends break the law repeatedly (we all have at one time or another) and then rant on about how law enforcement isn't doing enough to protect society.

Anyhow here it is.


...Davis's story will be a prominent case in point for both sides in an increasingly heated debate, pitting those who would protect society from the prospective dangers posed by serial criminals against those who see the United States - whose overcrowded prisons house fully one-quarter of all the prisoners in the world, most of them black

[GregK]

yup spot on thats how people are. our society is sick beyond repair.

[Duke of Buckingham]

Educate the heart. Let us have good men.

Rehabilitation is not a destiny, is a long journey.

Regardless of the nature of their crime or any rehabilitation that may have occurred, these ex-felons cannot participate in the decision-making process of that great Nation.

Justice can be very unfair. Inocent can be in jail and guilty ... guilty ... aren't we all, in different degrees?

The Child Song

When a woman of a certain African tribe knows she is pregnant, goes to the jungle with other women, and together they pray and meditate until they get to "The song of the child."

When the child is born, the community gets together and they sing their song. Thus, when the child begins his education, people get together and he sings his song.
When you become an adult, they get together again and sing.
When it comes to the wedding, the person hears his song.

Finally, when your soul is to go from this world, family and friends are approaching and, like his birth, sing their song to accompany it in the "journey".

In this African tribe, is another occasion when the men sing the song.
If at some point the person commits a crime or aberrant social act, take you to the center of town and the people of the community form a circle around her.
Then they sing "your song."

The tribe recognizes that the correction for antisocial behavior is not punishment, is the love and memory of his true identity. When we recognize our own song, since we have no desire or need to hurt anyone.

Your friends know "your song". And sing when you forget it. Those who love you can not be fooled by mistakes you have committed, or dark images you show to others. They remember your beauty as you feel ugly, your total when you're broke, your innocence when you feel guilty and your purpose when you're confused.

Tolba Phanem
African poet