Rehabilitated or Unrehabilitatable. That is the question.

Rehabilitation means "to restore to useful life, as through therapy and education" or "to restore to good condition, operation, or capacity".   The assumption of rehabilitation is that people are not permanently criminal and that it is possible to restore a criminal to a useful life, to a life in which they contribute to themselves and to society. (Wikipedia)

I felt it necessary to begin with this particular information before I went on with my little diatribe.  I used to believe in the entire "rehabilitation" process, but in reality, it seems that no one really believes a person is capable of being fully rehabilitated.  The assumption is that once you have made an error in your life, that is the extent of you as a person.  No matter how young or stupid you were, no matter how nonviolent,  despite the circumstance, a person is only defined by their criminal past.  Don't get me wrong, there are some people out there who are habitual offenders because it is just in them and that is all they know and have ever known.  That being said, have you ever considered how many people are out there who are, for a lack of a better way to say it, screwed because they made a bad judgement call when they were younger?

I have a friend, a beautiful person inside and out.  She is very responsible, polite, giving, and in general more decent than a lot of people you encounter in your daily life.  She is intelligent and when she does a job, does it phenomenally.  She realized that 25 years ago, after she had a brief encounter with stupidity and pride, that for the next 7-10 years, she would have to suffer and prove that she had been "rehabilitated" and worthy.  Unfortunately for her, she didn't realize that in the eyes of employers, she would forever be seen simply as a felon.  Despite how well she could/would do a job due to her skill set, how great her attendance is, how devoted to the company she may be, she could barely and rarely get her foot into a door to remain gainfully employed.

I find my heart aching for this woman because she really wants to just do well and live.  I also have to wonder how many other people are suffering this fate?  What do you do in these situations?  How do you maneuver around such a huge obstacle?  What advice could/would you give a person in this situation?  Additionally, I have to wonder if the lack of opportunity plays an intricate part in the lives of some repeat offenders.

Do you think a person can recover from a criminal error?  Is it possible for them to truly escape their brief criminal past?  Do you think someone who has committed a crime can ever be rehabilitated and be a productive member of society?