Cops and Robbers

"Every Sinner has a Future, just as every Saint has a Past".

I first heard this profound Oscar Wilde quote in my wild 20's, when its reassuring and universal message eased my Dorianesque conscience. And to me it means that we are all at some point in our lives, and to some degree fallible - yet still worthy of redemption, worthy of a second chance!

Remember the simplistic notions we had as kids, of the 'goodie' and the 'baddie' that we all grew up with and embodied in our games of cops and robbers or cowboys and Indians? (in my home we even played sinner and priest, thanks to a dramatic array of Catholic school motifs).

But, as any adult knows, these notions are far from accurate or complete, and our understanding of right and wrong, morality and ethics in general becomes murkier due to age, life experience and most importantly self-awareness. It is a topic perhaps best left to lawmakers and moral philosophers. But invariably we do at times get embroiled in discussions about the severity of a given crime, or whether a punishment (or sometimes lack thereof) fits a crime, especially as we strive to keep ourselves and loved ones safe by those who would violate the laws we have agreed on as a society. Check out this podcast on the subject.

Aside from our immediate safety and protection, I think we also have an interest in this topic because, deep down, we all understand that given certain internal or external circumstances, we too might commit a crime. Just observe your feelings as you read the words Robin Hood or Ned Kelly, and ask yourself what it would take for you to commit an offense, be it theft or something more serious. It's part of us all, at an individual as well as socio-cultural level.

More than just inevitable, crime seems almost at times justified! It is at the very least explicable!

And then there's that general, incomprehensible urge towards chaos and lawlessness that rears its ugly head every so often... But now picture the moments after you'd hypothetically committed a crime and you'd been caught... what then!? Would you not want your story, your side heard, along with your heartfelt apology? Would you not want a second chance at being part of society, that thing that for better or worse we need to operate within as social animals?

I can hear many of you screaming, "Off with her head!!"

These are dark, uncomfortable thoughts, to be sure, but the point is if we can entertain them, then we can move beyond explanations of the causes of crime and start to understand the basis of that well-researched area of criminal psychology which deals with rehabilitation, reintegration and the prevention of recidivism. From a historical and anthropological perspective, civilisations have always ostracised, banished, incarcerated or indeed executed their criminals. In some cases, humanitarian societies have allowed for redemption, for a chance to come back, as long as the individuals no longer pose a threat to the community.

And it is this principle, of conditional redemption and reintegration that is the solemn and critical business of Corrective Services and the Parole Board. These departments have made it abundantly clear that their top priority is always the safety of the community - and we expect nothing less! With this assurance, those who (are deemed to) no longer pose a threat, get another chance, to live amongst us, with their families and right their wrongs of the past.

Another aspect of this issue is cost: Each time a person is released, the burden on the economy is eased somewhat, as keeping a person imprisoned is an expensive exercise (over $300 dollars a day per prisoner). Moreover, many of these correctional centres are currently bursting at the seams!

But like most things, it's never as easy as it seems. Successful reintegration requires a large number of supports, from mental health and addiction services to accommodation, training and employment. And often these are not deployed sufficiently or at the right time and a person ends up reoffending. They may have reoffended anyway, sure, but the probability of this would have been dramatically lowered had these services been provided in a timely fashion.

It is for this reason that I take pride in working for an organisation, BSI Learning, which provides an essential service to current and former inmates in the interests of the community as a whole, and it seems fitting since in my family tree I can boast having relatives at the highest echelons of the police force, but also cringe at having some at the lowest rung of society - behind bars.

From our foundational literacy and numeracy courses, through to our nationally-accredited work-based VET courses and onto our Employability Skills Training, we work with the aforementioned departments as well as other organisations offering re-entry services to ensure that reintegration and redemption actually take place.

I'll leave you with a final quote that I heard in a summit recently: "Knowledge is not power; knowledge is potential power!"

Happy Learning

GW