Ever worked in a prison or correctional institution?

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Ever worked in a prison or correctional institution? Then you know why Michigan would not be a good place for the Gitmo detainees.

I understand why the people of Michigan see this move as an economic lifeline because those 40,000+ jobs will surely have an impact on a state that's falling deeper and deeper into unemployment hell.

But those people who think that moving the Gitmo detainees into Michigan have never worked in a prison or correctional institution. Just your standard, run-of-the-mill criminals are scary enough - even the kids in youth correction centers are a breed apart from society - but the militant Islamists who are being held in Guantanamo Bay prison are your worst nightmares come to life.

There's a hollowness, a lack of humanity in many criminals - even the young - that most people cannot understand and may not ever be able to fathom. And even if the people who apply for those 40,000+ jobs happen to pass the psychological interview part of the job application process, most of them will find that coming in daily contact with these militants will leave them cold and nervous, and probably depressed.

It takes a certain kind of strength to spend time with these people, and those without that strength will be changed forever.

All the other reasons that these militant radicals don't belong within our borders are valid, too, but it's the human cost that worries me the most.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/20/AR2009082004226.html?hpid=topnews