Why doesn't prison work?

Answer 1

There are many possible purposes for punishment, particularly for imprisonment. Paradoxically, some of them are at odds with one another, yet we continue to believe that one system can and should be able to meet all the goals. These possible goals are:

Specific deterrence - once a person has been punished, that individual will not do wrong again out of fear of punishment

General deterrence - people other than the wrongdoer will not do wrong once they have seen what happens to wrongdoers out of fear of the same thing happening to them

Incapacitation - the wrongdoer is prohibited from additional wrongdoing at least for the period of incarceration

Rehabilitation - "Punishment" should somehow retrain and/or redirect the wrongdoer to correct their ways so they are not inclined to do wrong again.

Restitution - The wrongdoer is required to attempt to "right the wrong" to the victim by repaying the debt, either monetarily or with time, service, etc.

Retribution - Wrongdoers simply deserve punishment for wrongdoing; the punishment should "fit" the level of wrongdoing in some manner

Moral Outrage - Society needs an outlet to express its anger at the wrongdoer and "purge" society of them, at least temporarily, by removing them from "civil" society

Depending on how these goals are prioritized, one's perception of what "works" and doesn't will vary considerably. Given that many of these goals are mutually exclusive, it appears unlikely any single system of punishment can meet them all.

Answer 2

Prison is not a rehab center per say but a place to put those that are hardened against feelings and don't care who they hurt or kill. They are put in prison because they broke the laws and to protect those of us on the outside who try to live a more decent life, even though most people today stretch that farther than is morally right.

There are some in prison who do seek help and try to make changes in their lives but at the same time, they are having to deal with the mean, evil people there in order to live long enough to get out. Then hardships start all over as they deal with those who don't want them around, don't trust them and won't hire them.

The time to teach someone the difference between right and wrong is when they are young so they grow up respecting and caring about other people. Once they have gone through years of abuse or being in street gangs, etc, many don't know how to change or just don't have any interest in it. Then they go to prison where there is nothing but evil people and they teach each other how to be meaner than they were on the outside and since many have life sentences anyway, what's another murder or rape to them?

Answer 3

Because it's to much like being at a four star hotel. We need to make prisons a living hell, tell the prisoner rights groups to go f##k themselves. Live in tents in the desert, basic food, no TV, work their a$$ off on city, state, federal projects, chain gangs working in the fields, one visit a month (only if they been good), that's just a start. We need to stop pampering these people, make prison life so bad that the thought of going would make the hardest criminals piss themselves in fear.

Who knows maybe they would need less prisons if they brought god back into the classroom, heck in everyday life ( I was raised christian but heck teach your kids about any religion of your choice).

It all starts at home, discipline needs to be brought back into the parents control not the governments. Send the kids to Sunday school, it can't hurt em (even if the parent don't believe in god), those are your kids, anything to make them better citizens, can't hurt to try. Teach them common sense, it seems to be missing today.

Answer 4

hey if u r in india and have money plus political influence prison will be just a 2 star hotel for you prison is what we can say the gas chamber container which has holes (in India) due to money

Answer 5

various reasons

rates of re-offending are extremely high.
it costs a lot to prison an offender
drug problems are in some cases worse in prison
spread of disease within prison is high.
criminal networking.



In the whole, we are paying large amounts of money to only spread disease and make smarter re-offenders that will be released after their sentence.

Answer 6

Prisons work fine. We just need more of them, and we need to keep people there longer.

Answer 7

Some people are just plain evil and need to be incarcerated to protect society.

Believe me, buy the time someone actually gets prison time, they have committed many evils.

Answer 8

Because of the ineffectiveness of post-release programs. 80% of offenders return to prison within a year because no one would employ them or rent a place to live to them.

Answer 9

We are trying to fix the problem at the wrong end.

We have to start with the youth teaching morals, personal responiblity, and trash situational ethics.

The don't hurt Johnny's feelings has raised this generation of demons.

Answer 10

It will not survive that many chiefs, and not enough indians and tribal common sense. In the past it worked when a colony of them were set apart from the populations. the only way to full rehabilitation includes full restoration, and restitution, and in case of deliberate murder, deliberate death.