By Charles McKenna Lawmakers wrestling with criminal justice reform almost exclusively focus their attention on criminal statutes; especially mandatory minimum sentencing. If they truly want to promote rehabilitation and foster true recidivism reduction, I suggest they focus on the one thing that will be more effective than how long we incarcerate offenders: The living conditions and learning opportunities provided to inmates. Our prison system is designed to demean, degrade and dehumanize. Prisons treat inmates as commodities in a warehouse and not people. Jails have become human storage unit…
