The political parties will be clamouring onto what will win them votes at the election.
This is regardless of what is best for the country or its people.
Yes we put them there, but sometimes we are not privy to the same information as our politicians.
We can vote blindly at times thinking what is best but unfortunately the politicians feed us information which is not always the truth and also what they want us to believe.
I refer here to one area and that is the Prison Justice System.
We have a crime problem but each government tells us that building more prisons is the answer when time and time again it is proven that this is not the answer.
The Jesuit Social Justice Group has proven that rehabilitation is the answer not prison at minimal cost to the prison system.
Is a prison a place to punish or is it a place to help a person who needs help to be given the opportunity so they can re-enter society with the prospect of a job and bettering their lives.
The prisoner who is taken out of society, leaves wife and children, family and friends – this is enough punishment.
Prison is not a place to harden a prisoner so that on release they are a bigger problem to society than when they went in!
Punishment doesn’t teach the lesson but encouragement, support, and education will.
Just one little fact that is not vocalised by the politicians. A sad fact is that only 6% of all prisoners have ever finished secondary school. Isn’t this a glaring example that education is paramount in our prison system, but it doesn’t happen.
Health and wellbeing is another disturbing factor in our crime and prisoner situation.
At election time ask the questions that matter and get the right answers.
Fr Michael Morley
Sacred Heart Parish Tatura
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