Is prison an effective deterrent to crime?

Question

If no, what is a better method?

Answer 1

That's a very good question. For most of society it is a good deterent, but so are the values of those same people. The threat of prison will not deter some people from doing anything, that's a sad fact that I've seen thouands of times. The reality is that prisons are NECESSARY because they keep criminals isolated from society and will at least prevent those who are locked up from committing crime. Of course there are organized crime bosses who get locked up and still run things from the inside, but that's a whole different situation than your run of the mill burglar, etc.

Answer 2

Prison will act as a deterrent to mild/moderate criminal activity. Sure you messed up once a little time in jail and you won't do it again ------- if you wouldn't have any way.

It is not, however, a deterrent to hardened criminals (who actually learned to be better criminals while in prison) and it will not be a deterrent to people who are psychopaths or sociopaths. They do not care.

Prison will keep victims/potential victims safe for the time that the person is in prison - so it works on a containment level.

As for a better method, it is important to understand the WHY behind the crime. No one answer will work for all. A power rapist will continue to be a power rapist, some one in prison for robbery to feed a drug habit will need to feed that habit when they are released and a person who commits a murder of passion may never murder again.

The best method is to create a society that does not tolerate any violence from bullying up to war. a society that does not leave ANY child behind, a society that punishes a crime the same no matter who the individual is (example - OJ Simpson). These will deter crime.

Very provocative question. Thank you

Answer 3

It depends on the crime. The worse the offender, the less i think it will be a deterrent. Child molesters and rapest, i don't think, for the most part, can ever be rehabilitated, so i would just lock their asses up for good, or better yet, casterate them...hehe

I think its a good deterrent for those who might think about commiting a crime and then don't because they don't want to loose their freedom.

I think prevention of crime in the first place is the best bet. People need opportunity starting early in life, for education, a safe place to live, a loving family or at least loving people in their lives.
They also need opportunities to succeed. The rich have plenty of opportunity to succeed, and take it for granted.

Most importantly, i think people, no matter what, need to learn early, what the future consequences of their behaviors will earn them. We live in this fast paced society, where everyone is looking for instant gratification, and people can get really impulsive at times, whether its criminal or not.

Answer 4

Not with our current court system (or at least the court system as displayed on t.v.).

The answer to your question though is no.

To make an analogy, the problem with our current medical system is that doctors and nurses are only trained to treat patients' illnesses instead of finding and treating the cause of the illness, which only keep the patients coming back for more treatment that does nothing for them,

So it is with the criminal punishment system in our country right now.

Locking up all of the criminals after they have committed the crime does much less good than actually preventing the crime in the 1st place by creating after school programs, more Big Brother type programs in at risk neighborhoods, and increasing salary and staff in the most criminally active cities and towns in our country.

Answer 5

Prison might be some deterrent to crime, but that is not the main point of prison. It is to remove those criminals from society. It is punishment pure and simple. Any other arguments are really superfluous.

Answer 6

To some people its a release from the poor selfless life they have on the outside.

Some people go to prison for a better life.They get hot meals,a clean bed,stuff to do.

A better method would be to meet up with the victims of their crime and tell them why they did it.For most "normal" people that would be a better deterrant to see how they have made them feel.

Answer 7

Prison life is not a very hard way of life. You receive 3 meals a day, room, bed, TV, school. Yard time, including tournaments. They have singing contests and art contests. Plus you get canteen at a cheaper price than on the street.
But living in that hell, i would hate to think i had to stay there 24/7.

Answer 8

For some it is, but for others, who have nothing outside the prison, no family, no home, no hope, it's probably the next best thing for them. I'm not sure what the answer is, maybe better education and higher paying jobs where people can actually earn a living and not feel so helpless. It's sad ti think that there are people out there with nothing to look forward to but jail. Great question.

Answer 9

Prison is not supposed to be a deterrent from crime, its the punishment. There is no deterrent to crime, its a profession, its always been around and its not going anywhere. All we can do is try to educate people and provide opportunity for people. But there is not always going to be work for everybody, there will always be people doing drugs, there will always be people stealing, there will always be people that will kill.

Answer 10

Longer penal complex words are neither a deterrent or a waste of money. maximum criminals do not have self assurance that they are going to get because "they have a fool evidence plan ... the authentic ideal crime". Longer sentences gained't deter them from a life of crime. They not in any respect imagine about getting stuck. Longer sentences do keep the criminal area of society off the streets for longer sessions of time. That keeps the criminal from committing his next "ideal crime" even as they are in penal complex.