How Is Prison Suppose to Rehabilitate Anyone?
Question by psychosolodiver: How is prison suppose to rehabilitate anyone?
How is living in a tiny 10 by six cell with someone else, eating slop, getting butt raped or stabbed suppose to rehabilitate anyone?
Wouldn’t someone subjected to that for even a few hours or days come out even more psychotic and socially maladjusted?
Best answer:
Answer by Spock (rhp)
and some do. some don’t, too.
the human psyche is extremely powerful. It resists change to an almost unbelievable extent. The two sets of environments I know of [legal ones] that have the power to possibly bring a person to a fundamental change of character are military training and prison. [Any organized attempt in a first world country to bring that degree of pressure to bear in any other way would be deemed torture. The mental hospitals usually can’t invoke enough power to accomplish the transformation job, which is why their cure statistics are so poor.]
besides, you overlook the deterrent effect — guys who hear about just how tough a real prison is are supposed to change their ways so they don’t end up there. [ or suicide by cop.]
Answer by Rick
Your point of view seems to be the one that nearly all other civilized nations agree with but here in the good old USA, we just love locking up people instead of rehabilitating them. It just makes so much sense. Support non-violent criminals in prison for years because they snorted some cocaine. Then they get corrupted by their fellow cons who are violent offenders so they come out real model citizens who are now a REAL danger to the rest of us. And all this time, they could have been working and paying taxes while being given other forms of punishment instead of using tax dollars to pay prison guards.
West Shore police seek man for drug possession charges
WEST SHORE — Police on the West Shore are looking for a man on drug possession charges. Charles J. Thornewell, 32, last known to reside in the 100 block of Lewisberry Road, Fairview Township, is wanted by the West Shore Regional Police Department …
Read more on The Sentinel
What is your option to confinement? The whole idea is to convince the inmate that he is in a place that he really doesn’t want to be in and avoid returning to after release. It’s all a matter of choice. If they are not fit for release for mental problems, there is the mental asylum. Life is full of choices and most of us are aware of the possible penalties for making the wrong choices.
if you get ass raped in jail when you get out it will set you straight because you dont want to get ass raped again so you follow the law
I think the USA should be a whole lot more “selective” in sentencing someone to prison. I favor violent criminals serving long sentences in prisons built for the purpose of “warehousing” these inmates. Keeping them off the streets is about the only way to prevent a violent criminal from committing new crimes. Would that “rehabilitate” them? Probably not … but during their sentence they would be prevented from committing new crimes.
Most non-violent crimes should be handled by restitution, either through direct payment to the victim, making the convict repair damage to the victim’s property, or community service. Perhaps all three.
Some “offenses of law” should not be illegal at all! I’m all for legalizing marijuana and prostitution (we ain’t ever going to stop people from doing it anyway … regulation to keep the businesses honest is the way to go). Possession of hypodermic needles without a prescription sounds like something that should be illegal … but the unintended consequence of making possession of paraphernalia like that illegal is IV drug users sharing needles and spreading blood borne diseases.
So, run properly … the prisons would not have to attempt to “rehabilitate” convicts … just hold them and keep them away from decent society. The drug users, small time property criminals, etc … society as a whole would be better off if they were given appropriate treatment or sentences that do not include prison.
As for marijuana vendors and prostitutes … legalize the trade and get these people paying income taxes (including Social Security tax). Not a silver bullet to keep the Social Security system from collapsing … but it would certainly help keep the system funded for a few more years.
Prisons aren’t made to rehabilitate you, they’re made to punish and confine you.