Poll: Should prison serve as punishment, or should it be used for rehabilitation instead?

[Altorin]

it needs to be both.

however, I do feel strongly against privatized prisons as it turns "people being imprisoned" into a business venture. I'm not sure where the money should come from, but people shouldn't be profiting off of other people killing people.

 

[rutger5000]

Prison should be used as rehabilitation, punishment and isolation from the public. The last can be in safety of the public or for the safety for the prisoner him/herself. A prison that doesn't apply all three of these will not work. You clearly see this in America were the rehabilitation is negligible, there an extremely high percentage falls back to crime again after they went to prison. Unlike some right-winged politicians might claim adding proper rehabilitation will severely drop the cost of holding a prisoner. For it'll decrease their chance of returning, and then the government has to pay again to keep them in prison.

 

[veloper]

Neither: they should be put to work.

This.
Hard work should also help with rehabilitation for prisoners that will be released some day.
It's also the best punishment, come to think of it. Better than relaxing in a cell or playing in the courtyard all day.