The Importance Of Forgiveness In Prisons

Every action of every member within a community affects those around them. It’s a ripple effect that can send out shock waves in each and every direction. Many of us make bad decisions. Many of us fall into dangerous waters that at one time seemed pleasant. We all make mistakes, and while people will have to face up to the consequences of their actions and decisions, there’s more to the story after they achieve atonement. They deserve forgiveness. Forgiveness is a funny thing in the way that it is not something that is both to be administered generously, and stringently. Many people feel that many of the individuals in our prison systems may not deserve forgiveness, but it is imperative that we give it to those who do. According to the South Carolina Department of Corrections, 81% of all offenders within the state prison system are first time offenders, and 45% of all inmates are nonviolent offenders who never hurt anyone but themselves because of …show more content…
According to Mike Riggs, “The amount of time drug offenders serve in federal prison has increased 250 percent since 1987, and as a result, drug offenders now make up 48 percent of the federal prison population”, and the number of inmates who are waiting to enroll in drug treatment programs is disproportionately larger than those who are enrolled. These two pieces of information prove that those who are suffering from addiction are trying to get help, but we are unable to aid them. And as the Federal Bureau of Prisons points out, “if the BOP cannot meet the substance abuse treatment or education needs of inmates because it does not have the staff needed to meet program demand, some inmates will not receive programming benefits." This is especially troublesome considering that successfully completing a drug treatment program is one of the few ways a drug offender can reduce his