Erik Larsen Assistant Editor

Giving Convicts A Second Chance

by Erik Larsen

I can see the marketing scheme right now: “Come to Rogers Park and live with convicts!” Wait, convicts? You’re interested now, aren’t you? Rogers Park has begun a program to provide residence and jobs for people convicted of drug offences. The other day at work, I got into an argument with some of my co-workers about this program. They felt it was destructive to the community and unsafe for residents of Rogers Park. They also thought it was a handout to these “hardened criminals.” This was their jail sentence? My coworkers were upset. But I was upset with their disregard for humanity. They probably would have written that sarcastic marketing scheme, complete with stereotypical images of “criminals” adorned on posters and commercials.

The program houses the convicts in an apartment complex for roughly six months as sort of a rehabilitation program to help them get back on their feet and turn their lives in the right direction. It’s a beautiful idea … and a beautiful slice of compassion.

I truly believe this program is a blessing for people who deserve a second chance. We’re not talking about murderers and rapists coming to the North Side of Chicago to bunker down and do more dirty deeds, we’re talking about drug offenders. These aren’t the scum of the planet, they could be trying to provide for their families through selling. They could be trapped in the constructs of an impoverished society. Or it could simply be a life choice that went awry. These people deserve a chance to get their lives back together. They shouldn’t be cast aside from “our” society and shoved into already overcrowded jails, because they deserve more than that.

The worst thing we can do for people who are living a tougher life than we are is to give up on them. Getting people out of the dangerous neighborhoods is the first step. Low-rent housing is often the only option for the poor, and drug dealing can be the only plausible way to get out of poverty and out of the bad neighborhoods. Giving these people a second chance in a safer neighborhood is the first step to recovery. Geography can so easily influence your course in life, and a change of scenery is a stroke of luck for people who want and need to change.

I am proud that there are people in this world, and in this neighborhood, that are willing to take a chance on people who’ve never had the luxury of sympathy before. As far as my coworkers go, they’ll be getting no sympathy from me.