Reoffending rates after release from prison have been steadily increasing.
According to a report by the US Prison Population, the US has a current reoffending rate of 70% within five years of release. On the other hand, Norway has one of the lowest reoffending rates in the world at 20% within five years. But what do they do differently?
The difference is that the US tends to focus on punishment, such as imprisonment. In contrast, European countries like Norway focus on rehabilitating their prisoners.
However, Hashem Al-Ghaili has recently proposed a radical approach to criminal rehabilitation by evoking emotions like empathy, pain, suffering, and remorse. His unorthodox proposal seeks to reinforce the sense of guilt in prisoners and remove the temptation to commit criminal behavior.
A new concept to reduce reoffending
Introducing Cognify, a thought-provoking concept introduced by science communicator and filmmaker Hashem Al-Ghaili. It envisions a revolutionary approach to reduce reoffending rates, focusing on reformation and rehabilitation rather than punishment.
Instead of criminals receiving typical prison sentences, with Cognify they can choose to accept brain implants in combination with AI-generated virtual reality (VR) memories. These synthetic memories are customised, depending on the crime committed and the unique brain structure and psychological profile of the individual, allowing them to serve lengthy sentences in a matter of minutes. It hopes to reduce reoffending rates and serve as a fast-track method of releasing criminals.
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By GlobalDataWill it work?
Building a system that reduces the level of reoffending will be a major challenge but a worthwhile one. Rethinking rehabilitation is essential for promoting community safety and vitality, controlling the actions of the criminal justice system, understanding the factors that contribute to reoffending, and minimising the consequences for offenders and their families that accompany repeat convictions.
Criminological factors that contribute to reoffending include substance misuse, pro-criminal attitudes, family backgrounds—such as childhood abuse or time spent in care—unemployment and financial problems, homelessness, and mental health problems.
An offender’s social identity can be an influential factor in reoffending. Many offenders may have internalised a social identity whereby they are perceived as, and believe that they are, criminals, lower class, and unable to change or develop separate social identities. For sexual offending, poor-quality childhood attachment to parents or caregivers is seen as a critical factor leading to the initiation and continuation of sexual offending.
Cognify aims to address the shortcomings of traditional prison systems, which often fail at effective behavioural rehabilitation, as evidenced by high reoffending rates. By installing specific memories designed to provoke understanding and remorse, Cognify could significantly alter prisoners’ mindsets, leading to more meaningful rehabilitation and potentially reducing reoffending rates.
For instance, if a person was a violent offender, they could be forced to watch their crime from the victims’ perspectives while simultaneously triggering emotional states, like remorse and regret. As Fyodor Dostoevsky wrote in Crime and Punishment, “Pain and suffering are always inevitable for a large intelligence and a deep heart. The great men must, I think, have great sadness on earth”.
Future prospects
While the technology behind Cognify is still at the conceptual stage, it offers a promising outlook for the future of rehabilitation. However, Cognify will face ethical and legal challenges. The use of the technology carries ethical implications, including a skewed sense of self due to artificial or altered memories, along with the potential for unintended psychological consequences.
Due to these challenges, the application of such a concept will be difficult and require far more research and development. Al-Ghaili concludes, “If we could overcome the ethical restrictions that limit testing such technology, we could have it ready in less than a decade from now”. As society continues to explore the potential of technology in various fields, Cognify could significantly reduce reoffending rates, eventually making society a much safer place.
