Rehabilitation key to rescuing addicts, society

As Christians, we are taught to forgive, to take responsibility for our transgressions and to break the cycle of sin. Sometimes we stumble from grace and other times we fall from it. The Christian principle of redemption can free us from our past while providing hope for a prosperous future. As the drug scourge continues to ravage our state, we must become effective on crime.

Through the application of Christian principles, our criminal justice system can be reformed in a way that is fair and just.

We achieve this lofty goal by educating our children, rehabilitating those already in the prison system, and reintegrating those who have served their penance back into our communities. This will create a stronger community, with more productive members of society, and more parents involved in the upbringing of their children. We need to save lives; Ohio is second in the nation in overdose deaths.

When it comes to educating our children about the ruinous culture of drugs and violence, investment in education and prevention pays dividends for taxpayers. By instilling values of responsibility and hard work in the lives of our children, we prepare them for adulthood and provide valuable mentorship opportunities. The Start Talking! initiative, launched by Gov. John Kasich, has given “parents, guardians, educators and community leaders the tools to start the conversation with Ohio’s youth.” These discussions might start at school or during an extracurricular activity, but must be continued by parents at home and faith leaders in the community. We all have a responsibility to keep our community safe. Together, we can quell the culture of violence and drug abuse.

Apart from education, we should effectively distribute and address responsibility. Too often, we blame only the person who abuses drugs when, in fact, a majority of drug addicts were originally prescribed addictive drugs by a medical professional. Even if an addict did not have a medical condition and made a regrettable choice, it is time to place increased emphasis on finding, and stopping, the criminal who supplied the drug. We can end the free- flowing supply of drugs by shutting down criminal channels of distribution and halting the liberal prescription of painkillers.

To focus exclusively on prevention, however, is a mistake. Through the leadership of Sen. Rob Portman, the Second Chance Act and the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act are providing chances for rehabilitation for those incarcerated. This legislation provides medical treatment to combat the disease of addiction and mental health issues while offering educational opportunities. Inmates are shown forgiveness while being granted a chance at redemption.

Rehabilitative measures, such as in-prison treatment or drug courts, dramatically cut costs to taxpayers while creating an efficient criminal-justice system. Innovative programs can save taxpayers more than $10,000 on a single case. Instead of a prison sentence, offenders enter a program that gives them hope to turn around their lives.

Only one in four who enter the prison system ever leaves. While our working population decreases, prison populations are rapidly increasing due to the drug epidemic. President Trump has cited job training, mentorship and treatment to, as he said in his State of the Union address, “help former inmates who have served their time get a second chance.”

As America faces a potential labor shortage, it is in our national interest to minimize barriers of reintegration through a free-market approach, led by public/ private partnerships. Take, for example, local startup Hot Chicken Takeover. The restaurant has quickly grown to more than 200 employees, 70 percent of whom were previously homeless or incarcerated. Hot Chicken Takeover is a staple of the Columbus food scene and a national model in granting second chances.

By educating, rehabilitating and reintegrating offenders back into society, our communities will be safe again. We will save lives and money. We will strengthen our families and our country.

We will give thousands of Ohioans a chance to be forgiven — a shot at redemption.