Our prisons are generally a disgrace. Mostly filled with non-violent drug users. I wish the President would get on board in leading prison reform nationally. Many who rot in prison could in fact be given learning opportunities that would, if they took advantage of them, prepare them for some kind non-criminal careers. Let the non-violent offenders have the option to improve and change; many would.
The prison-industrial complex, while unavoidable, is both a blessing and a curse that needs to be overhauled, IMHO.
And yes, I have spent plenty of time as a volunteer visiting prisoners in County jails and State prisons in Arizona.
Mostly filled with non-violent drug suppliers/users who have offended multiple times. It's not their first rodeo friend. They're given schooling, vocational and occupational training. The bulk of them dropped out of school and have the opportunity to get their GED's. Your key words are "if they take advantage." The other words should be "and apply it when they leave." When they're released, it's way too easy for them to fall back into the same old patterns, with the same homies, in the same community you were arrested in. I've always believed that change has to come from within. It's not something you can expect someone to hand to you. You have to work at it, and want to work at it, and keep working at it, even if you get knocked down. Too many of them won't get back up and try again. It's easier just to revert back to bad habits and behavior. There's no work in that. Saying you want to change, and putting the effort into doing it are two different things.