There's a saying which goes: The thief isn't sorry because he regrets his actions, instead he is sorry because he got caught, lol. And this has been the sad reality of many hardened criminals today, they pretend to be very sorrowful after being arrested and jailed, but the empathy part of their heart is still hard.
With this thought in mind, I begin to question the effectiveness of rehabilitating these hardened criminals with the hope that they would change after sometime. It is true that the criminal justice system is built on the idea of reforming the bad eggs and reducing crimes in our society, but how sure are we that the society would be safe after these criminals come out of rehabilitation?
This reminds me of a notorious criminal in our community who was also the head of a militant group that was terrorizing the whole southern Ijaw local government area of Bayelsa state, Nigeria. There was one time he got into a fight with one of his community men, and he was heard threatening to burn down this other man's house.
The conflict was later settled and the fight was thought to have ended. But when it was night, the house of the man that got into a fight with this notorious criminal was burnt to the ground. The man and his family were inside the house sleeping while petrol was poured around the house before setting it ablaze.
The next day, angry youths of the community captured the notorious head of the militant and accused him of killing that man and his family by setting their house ablaze. The people of the community were ready to take laws into their hands and kill this man (jungle justice). But this notorious criminal started crying and pleading that he was innocent and he swore that those were empty threats he said on that day of their fight.
His hands and legs were tied, and he was about to be thrown into the river to die, but the police arrived and decided they would arrest and detain him pending prosecution. He was later sentence to prison for about 6-7 years, and he recently came back and was involved in a clash between the Nigerian Military and the notorious militant gangs in the state where he was shot to death.
I brought this real life story up because I want us to understand the mindset of some of these hardened criminals. Most of these individuals can't possibly change because of a rehabilitation program, as they have had a long history of criminal behavior, shaped by some factors like socio-economic conditions, family background, peer influences, and possibly untreated mental health issues.
Some of these hardened criminals have naturally grown up to be that way. They view the world through a lens of mistrust and aggression, seeing themselves in constant battle with society and its rules. To them criminal activities is a survival mentality and a way of life, and it would take more than just rehabilitation to change these mindsets.
From my observations and experiences, I have come to realize that the hearts of these criminals are hardened because they never received enough love right from their childhood days. You give out what you have right? How can they show empathy to society when their lives have been a mess growing up?
In my opinion, the best way to go about these hardened criminals is to soften their heart, else they would only pretend to be good and after rehab, you would see next level beast. Society should adopt a more supportive and inclusive approach towards returning citizens, because most ex-convicts are not treated with kindness.
It would be better to make it easier for former offenders to find employment, housing, and social support. Let our second chances be second chances. Am saying this because some of these guys went into criminal acts because of situation beyond their control.
Thank goodness the world is rapidly advancing in technological innovation, and we could use technology like virtual reality (VR) simulations, to create immersive experiences that challenge the thought patterns of these criminals and encourage empathy. Actions like this can help soften their hearts and make them see clearer, rather than these rehabilitations that ends up costing more money.
I appreciate your time around here❤️:-)
