High school student collects books for people in jail.

Greenfield (MA) High School junior Ella McDaniel is collecting books for inmates at the Franklin County Jail and House of Corrections until March 24.

According to the Greenfield Recorder, the 16-year old is going through Confirmation at her local Catholic Church and is required to perform acts of community service. McDaniel chose collecting books for inmates.

As The Recorder reports:

"I heard about a project in eastern Massachusetts that provides books to inmates and I thought, 'Why can't we do that here?'" McDaniel said. "Not only does it give (inmates) access to books, but the community at large. I'm a big believer in advocacy."

[...] McDaniel shares that among released inmates, "recidivism rates drop significantly after completing their education."

And that's just the thing. Education does work in all walks of life, but especially within prison populations. I should know. I taught prisoners. Murderers and drug dealers--the vast majority of whom would be released back into local communities largely shunned for a crime of passion--who would now lack not only education, but support from locals to begin a new life.

Prisons are often titled as a "Department of Corrections" or "Correctional Facility." Yet, so often we don't care about "correcting" the issue that led some individual to years behind bars in the first place, which is often a lack of education. We punish and punish and punish again.

There is no logic in taking away someone's freedom, leaving them in a cage, only to release them back into society and expect a positive change.

Instead of punish, it should be educate and educate and educate again.