Back in the day, and even up until now, most of us have usually wished that God would become a man because He would deliver quick and fierce judgement to the wicked without showing mercy, unlike how God usually continues to show mercy to evildoers, and that mercy keeps making them continue in their evil ways.
Now, men have become judges and are in charge of punishing criminals, yet they have decided to adopt God's merciful approach by using the scheme of rehabilitation to pardon criminals and take them back into society. Is this fair? No, you check am nau?
The above rant has already revealed my stance on the policy of rehabilitating criminals. It just doesn't sit well with me at all.
Let's take a look at the ugly and harsh reality of banditry in Nigeria. 99% of Nigerians know, with evidence, that the banditry terrorising Nigeria's security is caused majorly by northerners, most of whom are herdsmen. Although the government, as funny as it sounds, does not agree that northerners are behind it. Even at that, many times, these northerners get caught red-handed, and instead of the full force of the law being applied to them, the government pampers them, rehabilitates them, and returns them to society. This policy has encouraged bandits, in their minds, to continue their acts. After all, if they are caught, the law will have mercy on them.
If the punishment for crime were strict, there would have been a "think-twice" moment for criminals before embarking on their missions. If the penalty for kidnapping and theft were death, there would have been a drastic reduction in the rate at which crimes are committed in our society today. The same applies to how the world is structured with regard to how God handles evildoers. If there were a thunderstrike against someone who committed a crime, evil acts would have been drastically reduced.
As I always say, it is a slap in the face of the people who have been hurt by a crime when they suddenly see that someone who is supposed to be languishing in a cell for their crimes is living well in society as if nothing happened. Let's take an example: if Mr A's sister were killed by her boyfriend and the boyfriend were taken to the police to serve his punishment, only for him to be released back into society after a month, all in the name of rehabilitation and repentance, we all know that Mr A would not take it easy. He would be even more hurt to know that the person who killed his sister was living well as if he had committed no crime.
I dislike this policy a lot. I dislike the policy of giving prisoners a good life while they serve their prison sentences. It sucks!
Thanks for reading.
