In a Newsweek article, Second Chances by Raphael Johnson, the author tells his story of arrests and murder during his teenage years. He stole a gun at 12 and was arrested, then sent to a boy's home at 14. At 18, when he was supposed to head off to college, he killed a chaperone who threw him out of a party. Despite the rough neighborhood he grew up in and his arrests and violence, Johnson excelled in school and earned scholarships to both high school and college. He spent 12 years in prison, and during this time he still worked hard to become certified as a carpenter, plumber, electrician and paralegal. After being released from prison, he ran a motivational speaking and fitness company. Needless to say, Johnson is very successful and has come a long way since his teenage years.
Clearly, Johnson made a huge mistake as a child that caused a man his life. However, Johnson has managed to pull his life together because he was given a second chance and was released from jail for a crime that would usually cost someone a life sentence. Saying this, there are also many teenagers who commit crimes and fail to redeem themselves later in their life. So, can a criminal change, should criminals be given a second chance? Or is it too risky?
Maybe I'm really sheltered, but I actually believe that criminals do deserve a second chance. Many criminals have gone on after incarceration to be active members of society and to lead happy normal lives, which they otherwise wouldn't in jail, obviously. Especially when committed at a young age, a person's criminal record can't be substituted for their character.
ReplyDeleteAnother big issue I think arises with second chances is the prospect of the death penalty. If a criminal cannot be given a second chance in society, they should at least be granted a second chance in life. Issuing the death penalty, to me, is the most ridiculous and unnecessary punishment that can exist. What if Raphael Johnson had been executed after committing murder? The world would never know all the rest he had to offer. Maybe some people deserve to be jailed for life, but I don't think that killing somebody out of fear is ever just.