Fear of Reoffending Reveals Low Confidence in Prison Rehabilitation

On June 5, 2002, Elizabeth Smart was abducted and sexually abused by Brian David Mitchell and Wanda Barzee. After Smart was found with Mitchell and Barzee, the couple was arrested, convicted, and sentenced to prison. Recently, Barzee was released from prison, and is subject to five years of federal supervised release. Nevertheless, her release has caused a bit of an uproar in the media because she apparently now lives within a ten-minute walk from an elementary school. Barzee's new neighbors have reportedly expressed that they are fine with her living near them, but her participation in the crime makes it a sensational news story anyway.

Mitchell and Barzee's crime was tragic for Smart and her family. This couple stole her innocence and subjected her to physical and psychological trauma that has, undoubtedly, taken her years to heal from. It's remarkable to me how, against all odds, Smart has turned her tragedy into a platform for reaching others who have also suffered similar abuse. I'm always moved by the strength of people like Elizabeth Smart who, despite the horrors they have suffered, demonstrate extraordinary strength and character. 

I imagine Barzee's release from prison is scary for Smart, even if she is not in any danger. Nevertheless, the justice system sentenced Barzee for her participation in the kidnapping and sexual abuse, and she has served her time. She is still under federal supervised release, and under numerous restrictions during that five years. She will also be subject to lifetime registration on the sex offender registry. Barzee's release may make for a sensational news story, but it begs the question about whether or not America believes in redemption for the people its justice system sends to prison. 

My concern is less about Barzee's release and her presence within a ten-minute walk from an elementary school. Rather, my concern is that our criminal justice system has no credibility in its rehabilitation processes. Clearly, if the criminal justice system was concerned with Barzee's likelihood to continue being a danger to the public, her sentence might have been longer. Additionally, the system would have provided treatment, beginning early in her sentence, to rehabilitate Barzee's criminal thinking and behavior. The unfortunate fact is that the criminal justice system rarely does its job of rehabilitating prisoners, often beginning the process of "rehabilitation" only within a year of a prisoner's release. That's far too many years of leaving prisoners in their criminal thinking patterns to expect much change before their release. 

It's easy to think that the cure for a re-offense rate of over two-thirds within five years of release is to increase prison sentences. But longer sentences are not the solution to an already broken system. What is being done is not working, so let's think about trying something new. Barzee's situation is a perfect example of the broken system. She should not be implicitly trusted just because she's served her time, but if we had more confidence in the criminal justice system's ability to provide effective rehabilitation, we ought to be willing to let people who have served the time for their crimes have a chance at redeeming themselves. Restricting where they can live and work, and other restrictions that make it difficult for them to rejoin society serves no legitimate purpose in a country that supposedly believes in second chances. 

I don't know if Barzee is ready for a second chance or not. What I do know is that the criminal justice system did little to nothing to prepare her for that chance. Perhaps rather than being vilified by the media, she ought to be surrounded by community members who care to ensure that she has the help she needs to be a safe and productive citizen.