The Pros And Cons Of Prison Reform

What is the goal of sending people to prison in America? The answer to this question has been inconsistent and debated for decades. Opinions differ on what the most effective method is, but most people can agree that the point of prison is to reform offenders so they are more beneficial to society when they are released. According to the American Psychological Association, conservatives in the mid 1970’s implemented the motto “get tough on crime” into prisons across the country, (Benson). Prior to this change, prisons took a much more liberal approach and focused on the rehabilitation of drug offenders rather then focusing on punishment. This change in attitude was a key turning point that ignited the debate over which method, punishment or …show more content…
This concept of punishment and the prison system has existed long before America adopted the principal. It has existed so long that means of punishment are viewed as completely normal and socially acceptable for non-norm behavior. Although many Americans would like to see prisons implement rehabilitation into the treatment of prisoners there still remains a fraction of people who believe punishment is the best method of dealing with criminals. The strongest argument in favor of punishment is the fact that prison keeps society safe. This is true but the problem is that the majority of violent crimes occur while under the influence and I would argue that the current living conditions of American prisons only make the violence worse. The prison system would become much more productive if it could create more secure residential like treatment centers. The New York times takes an aggressive approach and says, “It would be beneficial to every man, woman and child in America, and harmful to no one, if we were to demolish every prison in this country and replace them with locked, safe and secure home-like residential communities – what we might call an anti-prison,” (Gilligan) Even if these communities were reserved for low risk inmates it would still better society and even more importantly each individual inmate. These centers would not only focus on “serving time” but also create a less hostile environment where troubled criminals could get to the root of their issues. There are some options for rehabilitation in today’s prisons; the only thing in question is there effectiveness. The only currently practiced method that has proved to be 100% effective in preventing recidivism is attaining a college degree while in prison. (Gilligan) The problem with this