Just as the question states. Would you rather see prisons focus on punishment ( making prison life as harsh as possible )? Or would you rather see prisons work on rehabilitation of prisoners so that when they leave prison, they can lead a productive life.
That depends on the prisoner. Some people are simply evil and can not be rehabilitated . It also depends on the crime
Well, we tried rehabilitation in the 1970s and 1980s. It resulted in record crime. We have been punishing since the late 1990s. It resulted in lower crime (and increased prison costs). I'd rather have low crime than decreased prison costs.
That really depends on what you'd call "crime". A rapist, child molester, a murderer, and a drug user. One of these 4 doesn't belong in prison, but makes up half the federal inmate population.
No. Prisons should focus on punishment and rehabilitation. When they're done properly, the two elements are closely related and support each other.
Depends on the sentence. A life without parole sentence should be punishment, pure and simple. A sentence where you will return to society should have a significant rehabilitation aspect to it, including providing a way to earn a living when released. If you have to join a racist gang and become a worse person and better criminal before being released, that does not protect society.
One of the big problems with prisons is it puts criminals together giving them lots of connections when they get out. Instead of rehabilitating them it makes them bigger and better criminals in many cases
