yes, the individuals patern of behavior not their skin colour.

Submitted by trans-parere (Canada), May 17, 2008 at 21:59

Dear Taj

Recidivism rates depend on the criteria used ~62% return with NEW convictions while another ~52% are returned due to parole violations. ~74% of those convicted of property crimes return to prison with new convictions.

There are rehab programmes but they are volunteer programmes. They're available for those who have made the decision and are putting effort not to return. There is all kinds of help available for those who actually want to improve their life. All one has to do is ask and then dig in and do the hard work. And it is harder for a con as it would be for anyone who has spent the better part of their lifetime destroying their reputation. Unfortunately the programmes don't get high marks because all the 'cool players' abuse them in an attempt to out fox the parole board.

Using just the facts and not some racial myth that the system is out to get minorities. The greatest percentage of people by colour in U.S. prisons is white and the largest percentage of those whites are Christian. So maintain the myth but save it for someone like yourself who holds minorities as victims in a society where every one must as equals earn their way. As for battling over the raw number of those returning to prison, in my opinion, 10% would be sufficient cause to look into the local upbringing of that group of people. The culture they espouse and why attacking their society is their chosen method of "getting by", because it ain't a life and it ain't in no way style.

The following is from a black [minority] American on the black counter culture.

"They're standing on the corner and they can't speak English. I can't even talk the way these people talk:
Why you ain't,
Where you is,
What he drive,
Where he stay,
Where he work,
Who you be...

And I blamed the kid until I heard the mother talk.
And then I heard the father talk.
Everybody knows it's important to speak English
except these knuckleheads. You can't be a doctor with that kind of crap coming out of your mouth.

In fact you will never get any kind of job making a decent living. People marched and were hit in the face with rocks to get an education, and now we've got these knuckleheads walking around.

The lower economic people are not holding up their end in this deal.

These people are not parenting. They are buying things for kids. $500.00 sneakers for what? And they won't spend $200 for Hooked on Phonics.
I am talking about these people who cry when their son is standing there in an orange suit.
Where were you when he was 2 ? ?
Where were you when he was 12 ? ?
Where were you when he was 18 and how come you didn't know that he had a pistol ? ?

And where is the father ? ? Or who is his father ?

People putting their clothes on backward:
Isn't that a sign of something gone wrong?
People with their hats on backward, pants down around their crack, isn't that a sign of something ?
Or are you waiting for Jesus to pull his pants up ?
Isn't it a sign of something when she has her dress all the way up and has all types of piercings going through her body?

What part of Africa did this come from?

We are not Africans. Those people are not Africans; they don't know a thing about Africa.
With names like Shaniqua, Taliqua and Mohammed and all of that crap, and all of them are in jail.
Brown or black versus the Board of Education is no longer the white person's problem.

We have got to take the neighborhood back.

People used to be ashamed. Today a woman has eight children with eight different 'husbands' -- or men or whatever you call them now.

We have millionaire football players who can not read.

We have million-dollar basketball players who can't write two paragraphs We, as black folks have to do a better job. Someone working at Wal-Mart with seven kids, you are hurting us.

We have to start holding each other to a higher standard.

We cannot blame the white people any longer."

Dr. William Henry "Bill" Cosby, Jr., Ed.D.

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