Prisons Don't Work

A detailed Summary of Prisons Don't Work

In our society, the dual purpose of imprisonment is punishment and/or rehabilitation. Throughout the states, there is an increased prison population. For example, more than 40 states' prison systems are under court orders to rectify overcrowding. Some prisons have what is called a "zero sum" status. A "zero sum" status basically means if a prison receives a new inmate, it is required to release a current inmate. If prisons are meant to hold criminals and punish them for their actions, why are they being let out due to mathematics?

Prison is thought of, by some, to be a terrible place that people would not want to be. So, why do people continue to break parole and end up back in jail? The rate for re-arrest for state prisoners within three years of release from prison is:

There are prisoners who are released, but they don't return to prison. Yet, the majority of prisoners released do go back to jail.

The rate for re-arrest is so high because criminals think they're not going to get caught or they're so emotionally desperate or psychologi

Conservative lawmakers want to try kids as young as thirteen in adult courts, and they are trying to place them in adult prisons. Although juvenile crime has become more pervasive and more violent , it is not fair to lock up young kids with hardened criminals. This will not lower the crime-rate, but just increase the prison population. While in these hardcore prisons, teenagers would be getting a criminal education instead of a real education.

Politicians claim that they support policies that are tough on crime and prisons, but they're not. In "Why Prisons Don't Work", even Rideau said it himself, "If getting tough on crime resulted in public safety, Louisiana citizens would be the safest in the nation. They're not. Louisiana has the highest murder rate among states." Politicians have been saying that they are getting tough on crime to win votes, but in reality, they don't want to let us know how uncontrollable prisons have become.

cally distressed that they don't care about the consequences. This apathetic attitude might not even matter, because around 90% of the men never get out of prison alive.

Rehabilitation can work, but until prisons do more for rehabilitation prisoners won't change. The convict who enters prison illiterate will probably leave the same way. The rehabilitation programs within the prison are obviously not working if 68% of prison

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Approximate Word count = 931
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Politics

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