Many people would not dispute the fact that prisons are created for different purposes. For instance, punishment and rehabilitation are the most significant ones. Some may assume that prisons have only one goal, which is either punishment or rehabilitation. Arguably, jails should serve all purposes for prisoners regarding the severity of the crime that they committed. Punishment includes retribution for crimes against society, depriving criminals of their freedom, and incapacitation which refers to the removal of criminals from the community. Meanwhile, rehabilitation activities involve giving educational classes in jail, training job skills, and treatment services with a psychologist or social worker, and are designed to change criminals into law-abiding citizens.
One of the most commonly applied types of punishment for a convicted offender is imprisonment and deterrence. Prison was a saving grace for some offenders, pushing them to change their criminal behavior and make apologies for their crimes. In this context, the punishment model is justified to prevent the crime from occurring again. Moreover, in some jails, conditions are terrifying; thus, ordinary citizens may accept that prisons are terrible places and, as a result, be aware of committing the crime. According to the statistics, the awareness of jails eventually had a minor influence on the number of inmates because “the proportion of US residents who are in prison fell 15%, from 506 sentenced prisoners in 2008 to 431 in 2018 per 100,000 US residents” (Carson, 2020, p. 1). Thus, the US local authorities achieve a decrease in crimes through deterrence and discipline, even in small amounts.
On the other hand, punishment through depriving and incapacitation may cause serious health issues due to the horrendous condition in jails. This situation may lead to prison riots, difficulties with rehabilitation, and policy implications such as financial losses and societal rejection and hate. For instance, Maruschak (2015) mentioned that “half of state and federal prisoners and local jail inmates reported ever having a chronic condition. Chronic conditions include cancer, high blood pressure, stroke-related problems, diabetes, heart-related problems, kidney-related problems, arthritis, asthma, and cirrhosis of the liver” (p. 1). Additionally, rehabilitation with punishment is one of the worst ideas that had ever occurred because penalties may reduce some symptoms. Still, they would never correct the original issue of why a person had been seized to jail.
Therefore, if the government provides proper medical care and education for prisoners, the number of crimes may decrease considerably. Snell (2014) claimed that “four states (California, Florida, Texas, and Pennsylvania) held more than half of all inmates on death row on December 31, 2011” (p. 1). Thus, punishment may cause a positive effect on society, such as the fear of jails, as well as negative, for example, the struggle for prisoners’ rights regarding death and other sentences. Meanwhile, rehabilitation and education of inmates may extinguish the issue with the fight for individuals’ rights, and force realized prisoners to teach other humans that crime committing is not worth striving.
In conclusion, in light of the information mentioned above, the US government has not decreased the number of offenses and crimes considerably. Statistics prove that there was a minor reduction of the US residents in prisons, and, still, those are the minor amounts. Therefore, in order to prevent illegal activities, even more, the authorities should provide not only deterrence but also proper medical treatment and education regarding the severity of the prisoner’s crime.
References
Carson, E. A. (2020). Prisoners in 2018. U.S. Department of Justice.
Maruschak, L. M. (2015). Medical Problems of State and Federal Prisoners and Jail Inmates, 2011–12. U.S. Department of Justice.
Snell, T. L. (2014). Capital Punishment, 2011 – Statistical Tables. U.S. Department of Justice.