Scientology - The Good Side?

Scientology is certainly up there on the list of the biggest hoaxes ever. However, I will give credit to the cult for their Second Chance Prison Program. Essentially, the prison is a six to eight month drug rehabilitation program that began in 1995 in Baja California and recently worked its way into the U.S. The pilot program being untertaken here is in conjunction with the federal government, which has contributed several hundred thousand dollars. My first reaction upon learning this was to be slightly horrified that my tax dollars had been given to a cult like Scientology (the prison disavows a link to the "religion" but bases its program off Scientology teachings). I figured our government had hit a new low with its religious ties. Then I began considering the merits and the current state of our prison system.

In this country many drug offenders enter the penal system for petty crimes and then emerge much worse off, both to themselves and society. They are no longer petty druggies. They've been allowed to associate with much more serious offenders, such as car thieves, murderers, rapists, bank robbers, and so on. As a result of these associations, the once petty druggies emerge with newfound "talents", such as car jacking. Not to mention the fact that our penal system is already overburdened. So I asked myself...would I rather have another Scientologist or a more "talented" criminal? It took a second, but I figured one more person worshipping Tom Cruise is better than a criminal.