Lauren-Brooke Eisen and Ram Subramanian wrote an excellent article for the Brennan Center for Justice offering an alternative perspective on the purposes of incarceration.

Their approach centers around the idea of dignity. Prisons should give people access to education, therapy, and other rehabilitative activities. Through allowing incarcerated individuals to pursue meaningful activities inside prisons, they will be empowered to “lead a life of social responsibility after release, which requires a recognition that people can change.”

This kind of approach has been successfully implemented in a number of European countries. The authors acknowledge that in order to make this vision a reality in the United States we must drastically reduce the number of people we incarcerate. There are also deeply ingrained cultures and policies in US prisons that limit or prohibit conduct that would be rehabilitative, with the focus instead being on discipline and control.

Read their full article for more information and suggestions.