What is the Primary purpose of prison, Punishment or Rehabilitation?

Scougar

Scougar

Scougar

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So... following on from another thread where this cropped up: What is the primary purpose of prison, punishment or rehabilitation?

As has been pointed out the Prison Services mandate apparently does include that its purpose is to rehabilitate, whilst I merely think that it is a modern concept, and the primary purpose is to lock offenders up as punishment away from the general public, and rehabilitation is the secondary objective and the hoped outcome.

Discuss.
 
This begs the question

"is punishment a necessary part of rehabilitation"

cause the answer could just be the purpose of prison is rehabilitation, however punishment is required as part of the rehabilitation process.

Assuming it's one or the other is probably not that accurate.
 
Scougar said:
So... following on from another thread where this cropped up: What is the primary purpose of prison, punishment or rehabilitation?

As has been pointed out the Prison Services mandate apparently does include that its purpose is to rehabilitate, whilst I merely think that it is a modern concept, and the primary purpose is to lock offenders up as punishment away from the general public, and rehabilitation is the secondary objective and the hoped outcome.

Discuss.
Click to expand...

10 of the World’s Most Luxurious Prisons, and One Wild Card Thriller

If you’re ready to do the time, go ahead and do the crime.
http://www.takepart.com/photos/worlds-most-luxurious-prisons/bastoy-prison-norway

one of them is HMP Addiewell, Scotland
 
It should be neither.
Its number one use should be keeping public safe, by removing dangerous people from society. Number 2 should absolutely be rehabilitation. The vast majority of criminals are released.
 
I would have thought that this would be separated into two parts.

The primary purposes in sending someone to prison are punishment and public protection.

Once in prison, the primary purposes of the Prison Service would be to keep inmates held securely whilst getting them ready for release, ie rehabilitation.
 
Neither, it's to keep the criminals off the streets, and with the advent on mobile phones it doesn't do a fantastic job of that.
(I remember hearing an anecdote from a Criminology professor about a guy who smuggled 2 phones and 2 chargers into prison up his arse, and I thought stepping on a plug hurt)

The recorded rate of recidivism in this country is something ridiculous, I can't remember the exact figure but I know it's way way way higher than a lot of countries.
That's just the recorded rate, excluding all the guys who got away with it.

I'm more of a canon fodder type folk, send the small offenders into the army where they can learn skills and discipline. The rest can rot in jail.
 
pitchfork said:
I'm more of a canon fodder type folk, send the small offenders into the army where they can learn skills and discipline.
Click to expand...

Yes, I am sure in warzone in dangerous situations it would be comforting to know your back was covered by a little scrot who had been forced into the forces rather than a professional and motivated teammate who was alert and attentive.
 
Bring on the idiocy.

Prisons exist to take prisoners off the streets, but predicting some of you aggressive people's replies with regards to punishment, prison serves very little purpose if there is no rehabilitation as the criminals will likely commit crimes once they leave prison.
 
Surely though, unless you are going to keep all convicted prisoners in prison for the rest of their lives then you need to use the time they are in prison to attempt to turn them into something society deems as acceptable.

Returning someone who has never worked and has no skills and qualifications to a housing estate where there are no jobs and high levels of crime to rejoin his friends who engaging antisocial and criminal behaviour is just begging for him to reoffend.

Returning the same person to a different area (with their consent presumably), decent housing, and with the skills needed to gain lawful employment and support in finding work reduces the chances he will reoffend as he can (hopefully) meet his needs in a socially acceptable way.
 
I think that really is a different question, about whether the approach to rehabilitation working, and could it be better etc.

Back on topic:
I see the justice system as (Very basically obviously):

1) You commit a crime.
2) Assuming you get found guilty, you are sentenced.
3) Depending on seriousness of crime, you might be imprisoned.
4) If you are imprisoned you are taking away from society as punishment.
5) Whilst there, you are given the change to undertake rehabilitation.

If the primary purpose was to rehabilitate then some offenders would be released after they had been deemed to have been rehabilitated, even before there sentence was up. I suspect that if that has happened it is exceptionally rare. Far as I'm aware they still have to carry out their minimum sentence regardless of rehabilitation, hence the punishment part.
 
It depends on the prisoner and the crime(s) committed, there is not a convenient cookie cutter reason for all of them.

Prisoners like serial killers, robbers, tax fraudsters and a person who killed someone in a car accident are all different. For some the primary reason is protecting the public, for others it's rehabilitation and some to be honest prison doesn't offer anything apart from punishment.
 
Prisons purpose, Take criminals off the street and away from society.

Rehabilitation is down to the individual, Not a lot is done for prisoners whilst inside. You either learn from it or you don't.

You get people who hate jail and the people held in them, They never commit crimes again = Rehabilitated

Then there are the people who don't mind it or even love being in prison, They like the other inmates as they are all the same type of people, They learn new things and when released get caught again and they are all back together in jail. = Life of crime and another punishment needs finding.
 
dirtychinchilla said:
Bring on the idiocy.

Prisons exist to take prisoners off the streets, but predicting some of you aggressive people's replies with regards to punishment, prison serves very little purpose if there is no rehabilitation as the criminals will likely commit crimes once they leave prison.
Click to expand...

If so then use your maximum sentences as a three strike and out. Persistent burglar - reoffend - reject DTTO - three strikes , 14 years.
 
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