Do all criminals deserve a second chance?

Have you ever wished that you could go back in time and change your actions? I certainly have. I firmly believe that everyone deserves a second chance in life. Unfortunately, second chances are not always granted. For those who commit errors, a second opportunity is like a gift. It enables them to learn from their initial error and do a better job the next time. Second chances are something that everyone should have. I am aware that this begins with my own life. “Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending. ” Carl Bard's comment is incredibly important for everyone to remember when it comes to not discriminating against ex-offenders. Nobody is flawless, and everyone makes mistakes, therefore we must be compassionate in order to forgive and accept. The stigma of incarceration follows the released individual, even though they have served their time and, generally, prompts people to perceive the individual through a negative lens. In fact, it has become generally understood that individuals in any stigmatised group are viewed as of lesser value and their person, discredited, resulting in further social exclusion. This invisible punishment leads formerly incarcerated individuals to experience ostracism and alienation from the community, instead of support. As individuals begin to feel more shame, their self-esteem lowers and the alienation can have a dehumanising effect. These negative experiences have the power to shift a once positive mindset, aimed towards successful reentry, to a negative one where individuals begin to exhibit behaviours of silence and concealment. One commentator aptly observed that, “the status as ex-offender is only one part of a person’s identify, yet it can become the most prominent defining characteristics for representing self. ” The Yellow Ribbon Singapore (YRSG) has made significant strides in going beyond its original mission of providing inmates with vocational and skills training. In working closely with the Singapore Prison Service as well as its partners in the public, private and people sectors to mobilise community support for ex-offenders, effectively demolishing the poor impressions society has on the ability and reliability of ex-offenders. In its development and refining of projects, YRSG has piloted its TAP (Train, Attach and Place) and Grow initiative to go beyond a simple training-and-job-placement model to one that focuses on helping inmates and ex-offenders acquire and deepen skills for their long-term career development. Under Tap and Grow, YRSG partners like-minded employers, trade associations, training institutions and community partners to establish training academies inside our prisons. This allows inmates to undergo industry-specific training and secure jobs in the relevant sectors after their release and in turn, boost their confidence in fully taking advantage of their second chance and ability to have a better future. Giving offenders second chances is one way to stop the vicious circle of criminal behaviour, especially in juvenile youths. Often, when youths under the age of 18 are convicted and tried for their crimes, it causes a spiral that inhibits them from changing their future, this is known as recidivism. Recidivism is like a disease that is not a result of previous criminal activities of ex-convicts; it is a result of the society not accepting ex-offenders as equals to a good samaritan society. In a study by economists at UC Riverside and the University of Louisiana on the aftereffects of juvenile punishment, harsh prison sentences for juvenile crimes do not reduce the probability of conviction for violent crimes as an adult. In fact, it actually increases the propensity for conviction of drug-related crimes. “Reducing time spent in prison combined with incorporating better rehabilitation programs into non-incarceration punishment may produce welfare-improving outcomes for convicted juveniles. ” suggested by the first author Ozkan Eren, a professor of economics at UC Riverside. It can be deduced that the environment that juvenile delinquents were placed in plays a large role in their willingness to fully utilise their second chance.