**TL;DR: Prisons should not beget a cycle of institutionalization but rather should be modules whose purpose is aimed at reintegrating criminals back into society.** U.S. Correctional facilities simply don’t correct their inmates’ behavior. According to [The Hill](https://thehill.com/opinion/international/370908-we-must-do-more-to-rehabilitate-us-inmates?rl=1), “the USSC (US Sentencing Commission) reports that, tragically, almost half of former inmates are arrested again within eight years of their release...” Prisons are valuable in protecting society by isolating those who break society’s behavioral contracts. Yet the American Justice System’s pattern of recidivism indicates that US prisons are merely punitive; they seek to eliminate the “problem,” with no intent of attaining any solution. One’s individual hierarchy of values grinds the lens through which their world is filtered, which informs their personalized worldview that in turn directs individual action. Adjusting these patterns of behavior requires the reprioritization of one’s values at a fundamental level. Thus, repeatedly shoving criminals back behind bars often [does not reduce recidivism](https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/ffct-prsn/index-en.aspx) because it doesn’t work on readjusting inmates’ value structure. Without effective rehabilitation, prison remains a threat to be avoided, rather than a lesson along the way to eventual reintegration in society. According to the [Federal Bureau of Prisons](https://www.bop.gov/about/statistics/statistics_inmate_offenses.jsp), for example, 46.4% of federal inmates are incarcerated for drug offenses. Following their initial release, such a high proportion of these offenders will again see the inside of a prison because the value and personality structures that led them to abuse substances to begin with remain in place. The first and only prerequisite for quitting is wanting to quit more than you want to use a substance. Although this decision must ultimately be executed with individual conviction, external guidance can expedite one’s path to realizing that a substance free life is often better than a life on substances. Such professional psychosocial guidance can and should also be used to rehabilitate offenders’ priority hierarchies in a way that allows them to be productively re-assimilated into society. Prisons should not beget a cycle of institutionalization but rather should be modules whose purpose is aimed at reintegrating criminals back into society.

**Whenever we can, we should aim for rehabilitation and reintegration as an end to imprisonment.** Stewardship - which I interpret as just housing of prisoners - and punishment should not be the primary goal of incarceration. Obviously, some people are beyond rehabilitation, but the effort should be sufficiently made and closely assessed as much as is possible. This should definitely be the priority of the prison system. Punishment as a central focus of the prison system also does not take into account mental health as a factor in criminal behaviour. A [2017 study] (https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmpubacc/400/400.pdf) found that "rates of self-inflicted deaths and self-harm in prisons" had risen significantly in the previous five years. Reinforcing a reject mentality in prisoners by isolating them and not providing communicative or rehabilitative tools is not conducive to what the end goal of prisons should be, which is for the reintegration of as many people into society as possible.

**In most cases Prison should be about rehabilitation apart from in cases of the most despicable crimes such as murder, rape and child abuse where they should be about punishment** - A lot of crime is caused by [inequality](http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/67733/3/blogs.lse.ac.uk-How_neighborhood_inequality.pdf), [poverty](https://journalofeconomicstructures.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40008-020-00220-6) as well as many other societal injustices, therefore by rehabilitating prisoners through methods such as education and therapy they are provided with tools and motivation to strive for a better life without crime. They are given more options and are able to understand the impact of actions more. - Rehabilitation is also much more effective at preventing reoffending thus making society safer and also saving a lot of money, this is evident from prison systems such as [Norway's which focuses of rehabilitation and reintegration] (https://digitalcommons.coastal.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1032&context=bridges#:~:text=Due%20to%20the%20emphasis%20on,the%20likelihood%20of%20re%2Dincarceration.) - However in cases such as rape and murder prison should be about punishment and the offenders should never be let out as these are despicable crimes