Prison systems have been attempting to rehabilitate those who are incarcerated for centuries. However, according to a recent survey 1/3 of those who are released from prison usually find their way back there with in three years. This is a phenomenon known as recidivism and is a growing concern in our society. I believe the best way to utilize prison time in order to reduce recidivism would be to abolish the prison system all together. Instead of sending criminals to prison where they spend most of their day in holding cells, it would be beneficial to send them to a reform center. In this new facility prisoners will receive an education and job training.

In a recent study, it has been shown that about 41% of inmates have not earned anything above a high school diploma or a GED. (Harlow, Caroline W. Education and Correctional Populations) According to the results, those who are less educated tend to make it to prison more frequently than those who are educated fully. Currently, the prison system do attempt to educate their inmates during their sentence, but it has proven to be ineffective. The high recidivism rate we have today can be attributed to this. In order to successfully rehabilitate a criminal you have to give them a proper education. According to the same study mentioned earlier, those who have a post-secondary education make up less than 15% of the prison population. (Harlow, Caroline W. Education and Correctional Populations) This is what the Reform center aims for. Prisoners will be educated and given job training. At the end of their sentence they will be required to take an exam and pass in order to be introduced back into civilization. This is a better alternative to prisons; this way we can make criminals a functioning part of society once they are free. Furthermore, this new educational facility for inmates would benefit the community as well. According to Money-CNN it is less costly to provide an education to a child than it is to keep an inmate in prison. This can significantly reduce the amount of money spent. The money that we do not invest in prisons can be used to set up educational programs that teach children not to break laws.

Although prisons are not rehabilitating criminals properly, they are not the source of the problem. The root of the problem begins before prisoners are even incarcerated. The source of recidivism can be traced back to people's up-bringing. Twenty-four per cent of inmates stated that they had been in care at some point during their childhood. Those who had been in care were young when they were first arrested, and were more likely to be re-convicted in the year after being release from custody than those who had never been in care.(Brown, David. "Criminals Jail Prison Recidivism Family Upbringing Drugs Peer Pressure Television.") this shows us that a criminal is made starting with the way they are raised. The best possible way to end recidivism in our prison systems would be to raise children differently. We should instill values of respect, kindness, intelligence, and peace in children. It is said