What is the purpose of prisons?

Is the point of prisons to restrict freedom as punishment for crimes committed? Should prisons be rehabilitative? Are prisoners supposed to emerge from the experience deterred from committing future crimes and morphed into law-abiding citizens?

The purpose of prison is retribution

Prison should be an unpleasant experience to ensure the criminal pays for the harm they have caused.

Prison means justice for victims

Criminal activity violates the social contract and harms one or more victims. We must hold people accountable for these actions.

The purpose of prison is rehabilitation

Prisoners deserve second chances - it's better for their communities and society overall

We must solve root causes of crime

Incarceration presents an opportunity for our justice system to help people to deal with the root cause of their criminal conduct.

Incarceration hurts minority communities most

Minorities are often disproportionately incarcerated and have high rates of recidivism.

Prisons Prepare People for Return to Society

Prisons should be constructive and help those who are incarcerated prepare for re-entry to our local communities.

The purpose of prison is incapacitation

Prisons restrict freedoms of dangerous people to protect society and prevent them from committing further crimes.

Known criminals cannot commit crimes if physically prevented from doing it

The purpose of prison is deterrence

Prison prevents people from committing crimes in the first place through fear of the consequences.

Prison should be a deterrent for crime

Both personal experience and public knowledge of our use of prisons as punishment prevents future crime.
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This page was last edited on Wednesday, 18 Nov 2020 at 08:12 UTC