My biggest problems with the prison system are so systemic that I wonder if it could every be reformed. 1) The prison system takes a bunch of people we deem unfit for society and puts them together - and then they socialize each other in a way that almost ensures that they will be unable to integrate with larger society when they get out. It is a problem when prison becomes a way of culturizing criminals to be criminals. 2) There isn't enough emphasis on helping those who have served their time transition into the larger community. If an inmate hasn't been culturized as I mentioned above, likely they have become dependent on a rigid system that doesn't encourage the flexibility that coping with real life requires.
Now, I'm no expert, but it doesn't seem realistic to expect much rehabilitation under our current system. It also doesn't seem fair to take someone who, for whatever reason, has gotten themselves into trouble with the law and then stacking the deck against them even more. I also don't claim that there aren't extraordinary individuals who can overcome their pasts and lead very productive lives, but I don't think we as a culture are enabling that. Those few individuals are doing it not because of the system, but in spite of it. Whether you want to get tough on crime or not, there must be a more productive way for society to get what it wants out of the criminal justice system - a safer country and better lives for our citizens.
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Cogito ergo spud -- I think, therefore I yam
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