1) Prison and Jail should be rehabilitation centers
The goal of incarceration should not be to ruin lives or make them uncomfortable but to rework them, and give individuals the tools they need to reintegrate into society. Prisons could work on bettering people by offering therapy, education, and support services. There are so many times where the prison system fails people. For example, some incarcerated individuals are not inherently “bad” but committed a crime trying to survive. I think of the homeless people in DC as it’s getting criminalized, the mothers who steal baby formula, the people down on their luck trying to survive. Sure their actions are wrong, but if it’s specifically for survival there’s no reason their life should be flipped around for that. Additionally, by focusing on rehabilitation rather than retribution, we have the chance to prevent repeated cycles of crime and poverty. If each person who serves a sentence over 4 years can leave prison with a college degree and new skillset the likelihood of another crime of convenience will dramatically decrease. Additionally, wrongful convictions and excessively harsh sentences are unfortunate realities within the justice system. When innocent people or those facing unjustly long prison terms are incarcerated, the punishment becomes life-ruining. If prisons were centered around rehabilitation, even these cases would not permanently hinder a person’s future. They say 2/3s of people get reincarcerated within a few years of their original incarceration. That’s because the prison system doesn’t prepare you for a life outside. It drains your funds and without a solid support system outside the readjustment could feel impossible. To build the rest of your life in prison provides people with a better life set when they get out.
2) Social Security is a bad system
People experiencing homelessness are already in danger for just about everything. On Monday, I spent the morning at the county Soup Kitchen for a class. There, I spoke to a few patrons and they shared their stories. One of the most common issues I heard was losing their social security cards and losing or having their IDs stolen. Of course there’s ways to get a new ID but for many of the easier routes you need a residential address. Without a social security card or any forms of identification in America your life is halted. You can’t drive, get a job, get a credit card, get a house, or any of the reassimilation methods people suggest to the homeless. Without identification, people become invisible, people are put in immediate danger. To prevent this, America could adopt Sweden’s personal number system. Their system uses a ten digit number which is easier to remember and is universally used across services, and eliminates the risk of theft tied to physical documents. This number is used for everything and not something forced to keep secret. This way it’s nearly impossible to forget since from a young age you are constantly repeating it to sign up for apps, college, jobs and more. This reform could help the more vulnerable people avoid falling deeper into systemic traps.
3) Language Educations should be prioritized
On a lighter topic, education reform is another thing America should be considered about. There’s enough to say how the education system fails students in math but I suggest it also fails students with communication and cultural intelligence. My biggest insecurity when I traveled around Europe was being seen as a tourist, especially an American tourist. Other countries think so negatively of tourists because of their inherent lack of understanding for their surrounding culture which is completely understandable but also preventable. That can start with language learning. I noticed this in Prague, when I ordered food in Czech I was treated with smiles and politeness. When my sister ordered right after me in English, she was met with frustrated looks and snappy answers. People want to be understood, especially in their own countries. It’s completely rational for locals to be frustrated with tourists but American schools can do better to prepare people. To start, schools in the U.S. should focus more heavily on language learning. For example, elementary and middle schools could split classes between English and Spanish. English, history, music, and science could be taught in English and the other classes in Spanish while including both Spanish and English vocabulary words. This is a very common structure for schools in Czechia. Middle schools, while continuing with the bilingual classes, could then offer intensive Arabic courses instead of the common choice between German and French. Finally, high schools could focus on Chinese and Russian. The goal should be for students to reach at least a B2 proficiency level in the high school courses by graduation, which would prepare them to communicate effectively in major world languages.
This approach would not only improve students’ communication skills but also broaden their worldviews teaching acceptance and curiosity. Learning different alphabets and language groups improves the brain’s ability to detect unfamiliar sounds, works on problem solving, and allegedly reduces risks of cognitive problems in the future. Students would gain access to more books, songs, education, and cause a greater chance of finding and developing international friendships. In the long run, this would make America more tourist-friendly, globally relevant, respected by world leaders and their people, and Americans better global travelers.
4) Climate Change is a hoax
Whoops! Just kidding, I just wanted to scare you a little!
Thoughts, Prayers, and Feelings 