The thing about prison reform is that it is a two-headed monster. First, the public does not truly care about what goes on inside the joint. They feel they since prisoners are locked up, that their confinement has no direct bearing on them. Most figure that since they are in prison that they must have done something to be there. Well, there are some innocent men and women inside. Notwithstanding that, there still should be guidelines to help improve the prisoners so that when they are released, they will at least consider becoming a productive, law-abiding citizen. If not, then these same people are let go to terrorize you. When it comes to getting out of the joint, some convicts are RELEASED. Some are UNLEASHED! The ones that are unleashed are like rabid, mad dogs who have been chained to a stake, and once unleashed---they do damage. In fact, that is their intention.
This in merely speculation on my part, but yeah, I know that it is possible. Anyway, in most walks of life or in every profession, you can reach a level where you feel "entitled" and it is this feeling of entitlement that drives you into believing some BS about what you have coming. For example, white folks feel a sense of entitlement due to skin. Beautiful women get a sense of entitlement due to their looks. Even a baby feels a sense of entitlement. That's just how natural it is. Well, convicts feel a sense of entitlement also. However, they usually feel entitled to "Revenge".
I don't care how much time a convict has, there come a definite point in his confinement when he feels he is entitled to release. Yeah, it is real. It happens. Every time I do time, a day will come when I have had enough, and if I could get released at that particular moment, I probably would never commit another crime. Usually, when that day passes, it's all downhill. My ultimate moment of rehab has come and gone, so the rest of my bid is filled with rage and anger.It's like, "you motherfuckers should have let me go when i was ready to be good. Now, F---ck you. Just wait until they unleash me on your ass."
Now, as for the politicians and such. During the early 90s, liberal-minded people pushed to change the conditions of prisons in North Carolina and Jesse Helms, a senator at the time, had a fit. He screamed bloody murder that a convict could look at TV in prison, could shoot pool and play basketball. He had the Pell Grants stopped which made it easy for convicts to take college colleges. Many others felt he had a point. If their children had to pay to go to college, why should a convict get a free pas?. After this, prisons were normalized with prisoners left with a lot of time and not much to do with it.
During this time, I took a full load of classes. They offered degree courses in business administration, and liberal arts. Quite naturally, I studied liberal arts. The professors came in from The University of Wisconsin at Baraboo, and when I made the Dean's List, i was just another student. No one knew I was a convict. I also studied in prison with professors from East Carolina University who came in and taught. Professors from HBCU schools such as Shaw University came in and offered a full array of college programs. In the fed joint in Wisconsin, the joint was set up like a college campus. We went to school all day just like on a regular campus. We didn't have to work. We just went to classes.
Another main reason that no ones want to reform prison is because the people inside that you are trying to assist are not that endearing. It's kinda hard to work on someone's behalf who just might kill you once they get out.