do you think incarceration is the best means of rehabilitating criminals?
143062
No execution is.  Oh you believe people can change.  Silly marxist
312563
Yes, I believe that the United States should employ such methods of corporeal punishment for particularly heinous crimes like the caining they do in Japan, only for serious crimes, not for spray painting graffiti or jaywalking because that would make us barbarians. Crimes like rape and very serious drug trafficing charges (not for smoking a single joint but rather transporting over one metric ton of cocaine in), and things of a grave and serious nature.
782819
That rehabilitation and counseling prevent recidivism (committing the crime again) better than sentencing someone to jail for a non-violent drug crime.  It focuses more on getting the person help for their addiction and trying to keep them off drugs and turn them into a productive member of society.
202131
yes, we do. It is pretty sad when someone has been convicted of a crime, goes to prison, has a tv in every cell, can have a friend bring them a vcr, and food, when they visit. I'm sure not all do this, but there are a lot that do. I know, because I have a friend in prison right now. Going to prison is supposed to be a punishment, not a vacation.
183879
It would help curb *senseless* crime if it were actually used when it should be. What kills me is the "life without parole" sentences - if that prisoner can never be rehabilitated, what use is (s)he?
1133333
Actual work details outside the prison they still have,just not in chains. I think the prisoners working outside picking up the roadside trash is a great idea too. More places should do it. They should legalize drugs and spend more on education and prevention of drug use. When someone is addicted and can't get their drug of choice they will become a criminal to get it. England legalized drugs and they have clinics people can go to, crime dropped quite a bit and alot of these people were able to work again. Not flying planes of course,lol or being doctors but a real job to pay for their own needs. They glamorize drugs in the media and violence so of course it will attract the disenfranchized and the poor. According to the movies it offers a rich life full of excitement ,what crap. They should see the hell these addicts really live in and the disease. Jail looks pretty good to some people, like those who can't get medical care or decent food or who are abandoned by their families due to mental illness.the jail here is installing color tv for the inmates and air conditioning, you think the homeless have that.Its a sad situation. Inmates have it better in prison then the working poor.
849705
For certain crimes, I believe it is beneficial.  I won't start a big rally here but if you look at countries and states that have capital punishment in place for violent crimes, their crime rates are incredibly lower than ours.  Eye for an eye......sorry.
635846
If the purpose of our prison system is incarceration, then it is doing a great job.  There are few escapes.\n\nIf the purpose of imprisonment is deterrence, then we're not doing an effective job.  Maybe we should do what the father "Red" on "That 70s Show" said was the Soviet penal system:  "First offense, they send you to Siberia for five years.  Second offense, fifteen years.  THERE ARE NO THIRD OFFENSES".\n\nIf the purpose of our current prison system is to rehabilitate criminals, it's doing exactly the opposite.  They learn better, more sophisticated criminal techniques in jail.\n\nI'm not some "soft on crime" liberal.  However, I believe that we could substitute VERY HARD PUBLIC SERVICE in lieu of jail time.\n\nBack in the Great Depression of the 1930's, unemployed people were offered jobs in the Civilian Conservation Corps or the Public Works Administration.  The projects they worked on are still enjoyed today.  Why not resurrect these types of work programs?  Just put tracking bracelet on their legs to discourage running away.\n\nGiving these people healthy, dignified work will be great rehabilitation.  With most criminals (maybe not some of the child sex offenders or rapists) you can combine punishment with rehabilitation.  We just haven't tried hard enough.
907790
YOU SHOULD NOT RECEIVE ANY PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT !!!\nYOU SHOULD JUST BE THROWN IN WITH THE REST OF THE LOSERS !!!\nAND WHATEVER HAPPENS TO YOU IN JAIL JUST TAKE IT AS A HARD LESSON LEARNED !!!\nHOPE IT'LL TEACH YOU TO STRAIGHTEN UP YOUR ACT AND CLEAN UP YOUR LIFESTYLE !!! \nUNLESS YOU REALLY LOVED IT IN JAIL THE KEEP DOING THAT SAME CRAP !!!
752674
Yes. \nHarm is done by not correcting thoughts and actions. they are termed correctional facilities but with the violence and negative attitude you are continually subjected to do not improve or, correct, behaviors and attitudes.\nGood is done only when someone who has the ability on their own to understand change in attitude and behavior and never wants to go back and takes the necessary step to change their life, unfortunately that is a small majority.
834317
I don't think they are "good" for the person that is in them in any way (except maybe that they an't survive outside them?). They are good for society to keep people who are dangerous locked up. Personally, for people who are not a danger to society I would rather see more creative sentencing. Cons should have to give all the money they took back plus interest. Drunk drivers should have to work in hospitals with accident victims. Slumlords should have to live in their rat-infested apartments. Drive home the damage a crime does.
88108
Yes, it most certainly can!  Depending on what is done that is.  For the most part it is a very long term of imprisionment.
748865
I would consider the robbery felon and the murder felon.  I believe they can be rehabilitated.  The robber a little more than the murderer.  Murder is up there with molestation but there is no excuse for molestation in my mind.  A person that would take advantage of a child in that way would do any of the other two as well.\nJust my opinion.\nWith that said, everyone should be given a second chance but not a third.
155732
It's funny that they sentence the criminals for a set time and then commit them because they think they can't be rehabilitated. Maybe they should not have been put in prison in the first place. \n\nI wonder why they let violent criminals out after they finish their sentence.
787691
I think they should have to PAY the prison for helping them kick the addiction!!!\n\nWhatever crime these prisoners have committed, Ive no doubt that someone has suffered from it as a consequence, what I want to know is WHO has paid the victims of these crimes THEIR compensation!!!!\n\nAnd if these scumbag criminals get any compensation then it should go towards the victims who suffered from their crimes!!!  \n\nIt actually seems like a good idea to go to prison - Im considering it myself!!!  Why bother working full-time, with kids and studying my nuts off for a degree when I can get off my head on drugs, mug some old ladies and then get chucked in a cell and then claim that going cold turkey was against my human rights!!!  \n\nTalk about putting ideas in peoples head!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
1108109
Prisons are money making machines for the owners!  The states pay private prison managers a whole bunch of money.   Judges even own interests in restitution centers. What better way to keep 100% occupancy of their business. Isn't that a huge conflict of interest???\n\nIt is time for a huge revamp of our worthless prison system. \n\nThe basic premise of prison is to restrict freedom.  Currently they are nothing more than a holding tank.\n\nIf the inmate will be released at some point in their life it is better for society to get them headed towards managing freedom than a sudden release from a high security institution.  That is a recipe for failure. \n\nEmpowering an inmate through earning increased freedom woujld help reinforce the benefit of making postive choices. \n\nThere are many types of freedom restrictions:\n\nDeath row \nMaximum security - with no parole\n\nEventual Freedom:\n\nMaximum security - with parole\nSolitary confinement\nMinimum security\nJail\n(Convert abandoned military bases for low risk felons, youthful offenders, non violent crimes, rather than put them in with hardened criminals)\nWork release centers\nRestitution centers (how many judges invest in these and sentence people to them to keep them full?)\nForest camps\nRehab center\nHouse arrest\nTreatment centers\n\nMore freedom:\n\nAnkle bracelet monitoring\nParole from prison where they must meet with their parole officer\nProbation from jail where they must meet with their probation officer\n3rd Party Custodian\nRandom drug testing\nLose drivers license\nBreathalyzer installed on vehicle\n\nThe inmate enters prison at the highest level of freedom restriction the crime designates, determined by the type of crime.  \n\nBased on a set of personal needs and goals, the inmate can complete certain sets of requirements and move towards more freedom in graduated steps.  If they fight or break rules, they are sent back to the highest level of freedom restriction to start over. \n\nSome goals should be obtaining a GED, increasing SAT scores, entering college, higher education, work skills, community work within a prison (teaching someone to read, tutoring another inmate to get their GED), learning and applying anger management techniques, learning about domestic violence, revealing their early childhood trauma, learning to cry, feel human emotions.
663775
NO, it's not. It's absurdly expensive as the sentences are so long. There's barely any rehabilitation going on, and for the most part too many ppl are admitted for very long sentences who have not done serious crimes. Once you go through hell that most jails are you won't come out the same! And usually you won't come out a better person either! On top of that recidivism rates are extremely high when compared to other countries, i.e. in Europe. Some state prisons have recidivism rates as high as 20-30%. So no, too many do not become productive members of society again. I think there's a problem how the system works in itself, it might be successful at punishing, but not rehabilitation, in either case it should focus in prevention, and not be just a reactionary system. Some states, I think Florida and California will be soon among them if not yet, are spending more, or at least the same for education as prison systems. Now, doesn't anyone think there's something wrong with that? Right now US is jailing more than 2 million individuals... That's equivalent to a small country! There's clearly problems with the system, as well as the the way that society sees it and how they regard crime itself. EDIT: Now that I read some of the responses that makes what I said before even true, putting someone in jail as long as possible is not going to change anything! It's what he does in that jail that matters, not how long he stays there. So, if you think it's a good idea to fill the jails up with criminals, - fill them up, then build more max security prisons at 10 grand a cell, and fill those up as well, just don't come to me when it's time to pay taxes. And pray that once those criminals get out they don't come to you for anything, cause they'll be pissed. It's something to think about when you see the next politician boasting how he'll be tough on crime just cause it's an easy way to get votes, and felons can't vote, so he got nothing to loose, it's the society that does.