Response to chapter 7 STRAIN OF TWO CITIES in the book Inside Rikers Essay

Response to chapter 7 STRAIN OF TWO CITIES in the book Inside Rikers - Essay Example Nevertheless, the criminal has to make the decision of maximizing these opportunities in order to be released from the cycle of imprisonment, criminality, and poverty. Society provides the conditions for poverty, which easily breeds criminality. Angel is one of Wynn’s students at Fresh Start (Wynn, 2001). For his first job, he earned eight dollars an hour as a handyman in a hospice for people with AIDS (Wynn, 2001). Unfortunately, his contract changed, so he shifted from a full-time job to a part-time one (Wynn, 2001). Wynn was amazed that Angel did not revert back to a life of crime. Angel admitted that being poor and an ex-convict sharply decreases opportunities for advancement (Wynn, 2001). He complained about not being able to get jobs because of his criminal record: â€Å"I feel like I’ll never stop paying for the past. I’ve done my time, but it doesn’t seem to matter† (Wynn, 2001). At the same time, he did not have healthcare insurance, so when he got sick, he waited to be sick enough to be brought to the emergency room (Wynn, 2001). Wynn had to help him get a free checkup. Angel provides proof that society tends to push people to poverty, which facilitates criminal conduct. Society can reverse these conditions by offering opportunities for education and employment. John Wareham is an international executive recruiter, a psychologist, and famous business lecturer who joined Fresh Start as a teacher (Wynn, 2001). Wynn narrated a debate that John initiated, where three lawyers and writers debated with three convicts on the topic of robbing a bank versus working at McDonalds. The lawyers and writers argued for robbing the bank, while the convicts argued against it. Wynn stressed that the convicts used their hearts and minds to support their arguments. John said that this change in thinking and behavior would get