Should the main purpose of prison be punishment or rehabilitation? (Essay Sample)

Should the main purpose of prison be punishment or rehabilitation? Author's name Institution affiliation According to Williams (2009), the purpose of prisons creates a hot debate in the criminal justice as experts argue whether prisons should act as punishment or rehabilitation grounds. A person goes to prison when found guilty of committing an offence. The type of treatment prisoners undergoes while serving their individual sentences plays a significant role in life after imprisonment. Prisoners either undergo severe punishment acts or rehabilitation programs depending on the type of prison. The argument below provides the main purpose of prisons as rehabilitating and not punishing. Firstly, prison acts as an area of keeping wrongdoers and teaching them how to live a crime-free life upon return to the community. Rehabilitation helps change the behavior of a convict and focus more of positive things in life. According to Robinson & Crow (2009), rehabilitation in prisons helps improve a prisoner's self-confidence and develop a sense of worth. In addition, it helps a prisoner develop a positive relationship with others. It also plays a role in stopping someone from repeating the crime. Secondly, implementing a rehabilitation program in prisons serves the purpose of engaging a prisoner in understanding the right things. Most prisoners who undergo rehabilitation while in prison engage in campaigns aimed at discouraging people from committing crimes once they secure their freedom (Robinson & Crow, 2009). Punishment in prisoners creates no significance benefit to the prisoner after serving a sentence. Approximately 90 percent of prisoners who undergo punishment while in prison end up back in prisons after a few years because punishment makes them more violent rather than promoting change. In addition, other people who undergo punishment in prisons develop disorders such as mental illness and fear (Gilligan, 2012). Prisons act as institutions of changing behaviors of ...