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I actually think that Martha should be welcomed back to society, as should all people who have served their time. This may sound wierd, but I think that if society decides that XX years in prision is the correct punishment for a crime, then once a convict has served that term, it is incumbent upon society to recognize that the convict has paid the price and they should be allowed to return to society and, hopefully, become a contributing member of society. I think one of the big reasons that people become career criminals is that when they are released from prison, no one will hire them for a job, their friends and families shun them, etc. (Certainly there are some who make a life of crime no matter how people treat them, and they should be punished accordinly). If society thinks a crime deserves a tougher punishment, sentence them to such a punishment. But once a person has served the sentence society imposed on that person, the person should not be stigmatized for the rest of their life. A kid who does something wrong and gets grounded for a week doesn't get vilified and stigmatized by their parents once they've served their punishment (at least I hope not). Similarly, we should give people who have served their time a fresh start or at the very leaset the benefit of the doubt.

"...it is incumbent upon society to recognize that the convict has paid the price and they should be allowed to return to society and, hopefully, become a contributing member of society."

For VERY minor crimes, I agree, but you must live in a neighborhood that doesn't announce and doesn't pass out fliers when the pedophile or rapist or firestarter or meth producer moves in down the block from you. Ignorance can be bliss, until the next child goes missing, or the next mother and daughter are tag-team raped, or the next garage "accidentally" catches on fire, or the next meth lab explodes, all of which have happened in Madison, WI, the Mecca of Liberals.

Not sure you'd be singing the same tune, were that the case where you live. As for me, time in jail means nothing. Jail is for punishement, not rehabilitation, and when people are sick and evil, it's society's responsibility to protect the rest of US from THEM.

I think one of the big reasons that people become career criminals is that when they are released from prison, no one will hire them for a job, their friends and families shun them, etc.

This is very naive. Their best friends are usually other criminals. They probably don't know who their father is and mom is a crack-head or on welfare. Usually the first thing they do on getting out of prison is go get a fix of whatever got them in trouble in the first place. The next thing is to look up old buds from the hood. From there, it's steadily downhill until their next visit to the slammer.

The notion that most criminals try to get a job on release but cannot because of their record is just not accurate. For the most part, they don't even try. Even if they did, the tatoos, the silly pants, the inability to speak English, the 'tude, and the lack of any job experience other than pimping, drug distribution, jacking folks on buses, or whatever, assure that they will not get a job with much more certainty than their record.

I agree. We have thousands and thousands and thousands of prisoners and if they cannot be accepted back into society we are forcing them either to stay criminals or end up on the public dole. I think that in the very least if they have been out for 10 years and clean they should not be discriminated against. I am pretty sure that in the past the way you believe is how society functioned. A criminal was given a stiff sentence that was not pleasant and when they were done doing their time they were considered to have paid their debt to society. Right now because of our own self righteousness we are forcing many who are not given a chance, to remain in a life of crime which hurts all of society. It is a form of cutting off our noses to spite our faces. How many can honestly say that at one time or another they could have been arrested and ended up in prison. For instance how many have at one time or another drove legally drunk and if they had harmed or killed someone while drunk it would be them in prison. How many have tried drugs at one time or another or sold some to a friend. How many may have stolen something at one time or another in their life time. The point is most have done something in the course of their lives that could have landed them behind bars if circumstances had been different but the same people can be exceedingly self righteous and damning when it comes to others who have been caught. And then there is the other issue. You never know what you could do if given the right set of circumstances. What if you had lived your life in the same shoes as the one who got locked up, maybe you would have done the same thing or worse. Look at what thousands of previously seemingly civilized people did in Germany to the Jews and others. We can always say we would have been different but would we have? What about the abortion issue. How many people deserve to be in prison for life or executed because they have murdered defenseless babies. How many people aid and abet in these murder by sitting by and doing nothing? In the court of God many will be shocked at just how guilty they are. I am not advocating that the criminal get off easy. I am agreeing that if they do their time (and it should be a stiff time that reflects the magnitude of the crime that they committed) they should be given an opportunity to show that they are rehabilitated and can be a good citizen. If not we will be the ones paying for their crime on a perpetual bases.

"if society decides that XX years in prision is the correct punishment for a crime, then once a convict has served that term, it is incumbent upon society to recognize that the convict has paid the price and they should be allowed to return to society and, hopefully, become a contributing member of society."

Absolutely 100% bullseye correct. Anything less is not only counter productive, hell it's just plain stupid. If you give $10.00 to a cafe for a good ol chicken fried steak dinner, then go back the next day for breakfast buffet, $4.99, I would be more that a bit p.o'ed if someone told me I still owed $2.00 from yesterday, just because.... Not only that, I have to pay cash, my credit card is no good.

Basically, I would be in their face telling them all about their ancestors.