I just realized a little while ago that I’ve been blogging regularly but I haven’t really introduced myself.

So here goes

I’m lucky_marlees (obviously). I’m a member of the GWEB, which is great fun. Hmm… what else? I was published in New Moon once upon a Letter to Congress issue. This is my first time as a “blogger” and it turns out I really like. I’m a runner; it’s my favorite way to get anyway, except when its really humid and rainy like it is today. Oh, and I’m a fifteen (a sophomore) and I’m really excited to learn to drive, though everyone says I’ll be really bad at it.

Recently, I slept over at my friend’s house. Late at night we were watching True Life, a show that documents people’s lives. This one was dealing with 2 teenagers and one adult who had just gotten out of jail. Immediately, I was completely wide-awake. One of subjects was a boy of eighteen who had his girlfriend and her son- with another child on the way, to support. Not only that but he was immediately slammed with fees from his time spent in jail. But fees take second place to food and rent money. Another one of the subjects was in jail on a DWI charge. Upon being released she found that she had lost custody of her children.

Just watching this for an hour, made me wake up and smell the not so lovely roses. Our system of justice and punishment is seriously flawed. Rather than look at the reasons why crimes are committed and rather than equip those convicted with what they need not to come back to jail; we lock them up and then slam them with charges on they’re way out. I am not saying that people who have committed crimes don’t deserve to be punished but, honestly, it helps no one, them or the society if they, when they get out, are left so badly off that staying out of jail because an even harder challenge. According to a study done in 2006 52% were back in prison within three years.

So.. what do you guys think? Ideas for changing the system? Does it even need to be changed?