Boarding schools instead of prisons?

I just finished watching the George Stephanopoulos show where they were discussing the problems of black communities with the police. The conversation went on about solutions. Apparently more prisons, stiffer penalties, and more police enforcement have shown that none of that really changes the problems. The fact is that most of the people in trouble are uneducated, dropped out of high school, and have no skills to get a decent job. They have no hope.

It occurred to me that what we need are boarding schools instead of prisons for these young people. I assume that, to the criminal that would be punishment since he/she dropped out of school. They need to be forced to go to a boarding school where, hopefully, the teachers could be able to teach them some skill that would qualify them for a job. I think if they realized that there was hope for a better life, it would solve a multitude of problems. I know this sounds simplistic and would take a lot of planning and money. But if it could happen, I don't think it would cost much more than keeping them in prison, and if it worked, we would have a lot fewer people in prison.

I remember hearing of a young black boy saying he didn't care because he didn't expect to live long anyway. It broke my heart.

Phyllis Olson

Elk Grove Village