Education; Not Punishment

An old proverb states, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." The threat of a prison sentence is no longer an effective deterrent against crime. In 2001 the United States spent 167 billion dollars on its criminal justice system (Justice 5). This includes law enforcement officers, public defenders, judges, and correction facilities. This money could be put to far better use in the hands of our educational system. The United States should address its problems with crime by educating its impoverished population not by punishing criminals after the crime that has been committed.

Prison inmates, are some of the most maladjusted people in society. Most of the inmates have had too little discipline or come from broken homes and have no self-esteem (Venkatesh 112). They are very insecure and are at war with themselves as well as with society (Venkatesh 114). Most inmates did not learn moral values or learn to follow everyday norms. We could give them a chance to acquire job skills; which will improve the chances they will be productive citizens rather than hardened criminals. The programs must aim to protect society from corruption. Those who are taught to produce useful goods and to be productive are likely to develop the self-esteem essential to a normal, integrated personality (Medoff235).

In sociology, one of the major theories of delinquency is differential association (Medoff 233). This theory means some people learned their ways from undesirable people who they were forced to associate with and that this association warps their thinking and social attitudes (Medoff 234). Children are forced into gangs and are under the influence of other objectionable pressures when their communities are unequipped to provide for them.

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In many situations, America's prison system actually does more harm than good. It stands to reason, if you take a group of people, strip them of possessions and privacy, expose them to constant threats of violence, overcrowd their cell- block, deprive them of meaningful work, the end result is a disillusioned underclass more intent on getting even with society than contributing to it. Prisons take the nonviolent offender and make him live by violence. Prison can take the nonviolent offender and make him a hardened killer.

The government spends approximately $8,000 to build one cell, and $28,000 per year to keep a prisoner locked up (Justice 10). That's about the same as the cost of sending a student to Harvard. Because of overcrowding, it is estimated that more than ten-billion dollars in construction is needed to create sufficient space for just the current prison population (Justice 6). The plain truth is that the very nature of prison, no matter how humane society