Why You Don't Want To Go To Prison

Because, if you do go --- the odds are you'll be going back. Maybe that's not necessarily news, but what might astound some in the Land of Lakes is that we lead the nation - with a solid majority of defendant who reoffend being put back behind bars within three years of their release.

The reasons for this are many - and range from "prison is too easy" to "once tarred with the brand FELON - you can never get out from under that."

I don't know which side makes more sense to you.

I would think that even though someone may be afforded  a number of "free" things while incarcerated - such as an education, food, clothing, shelter, medical care - it doesn't appear to be the bargain it is cracked up to be  considering the freedoms and rights you'd also have to give up.

To me, it would seem to make more sense that once someone made a mistake - that lead to a criminal conviction - the ability to get back to "normal" is not really a realistic option. Rather than being given the benefit of the doubt, and the chance to redeem him or herself, the offender is often tarred with their past and that can have the effect of limiting their options. 

Now, this isn't a excuse --- people who choose crime over "doing the work" should not be afforded our pity. But, at the same time - we need to embrace the idea that people can be rehabilitated. And, to me, that means, taking a chance on someone.

In the end, it's hard not to see that the prison system has turned into a bureaucracy of its own (only in America!) and no politician or prison bureau employee is going to try too hard to throw money at any sort of programing that would seek to teach the incarcerated skills to keep them out of jail - would they?  Sure, many people in prison need to be in prison (and often for a long, long time) but couldn't many non-violent criminals actually benefit from some sort of job training, drug and alcohol rehabilitation and/or psychological counseling?

If you've been charged with a crime - you really owe it to yourself to contact an experienced Minnesota Criminal Defense Attorney. The sooner you make that call, the better your defense will be.