I'd forgotten about this but back in July there was an article in the Guardian about offenders being offered the chance to join a reading group instead of going to prison. If you remember, there's been another scheme sentencing people to church instead of jail. Personally, I'd prefer the reading group, although my first preference would be to not get in trouble with the law in the first place!
At least encouraging offenders to read gives them the chance to think for themselves, which isn't the point of church.
What do you think?
8 COMMENTS:
Reading, literature and other artforms should be encouraged too. Sounds promising - the stats quoted in the guardian look like such a "sentence" seems to be working and having positive results - so why not! Yay! Take care
x
It looks very promising, if only because it helps to teach empathy. Hope they continue with it.
Kitty, I agree. I always thought reading had a good influence!
stacy, and perhaps empathy is part of what it teaches.
Going to church would most likely make me offend more - but I am wondering what crime I have to commit to be "sentenced" to doing some reading ...
Simon, I'm sure we can think of something!
I'd rather read too, but I remember hearing of a program where a priest took two convicts on a religious pilgrimage.
One of them thought it was the biggest waste of time imaginable. The other was transformed by the experience.
Whether these programs help rehabilitate must depend very sensitively on the person involved.
jj, that's a good point. I wonder how they select people to go on the programs.
JJ - One positive transformation out of two is probably a better statistic than most prisons could muster.
And following the advice my Mother gave me at an early age avoids the problem altogether; "If you can't be good, for God's sake be careful..."
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