Answer:
What should our correctional system focus on, punishment or rehabilitation? I feel like I am repeating myself but I think it all depends on the circumstances. Let’s say there is a serial child predator that is apprehended, the psychological evaluation finds that the likelihood of the inmate changing their ways is slim to none. From this point of view we should primarily focus on punishment, I hate to believe anyone is a lost cause however if they are mentally ill with no way of curing then they have to be treated justly. Here is another example, a drug dealer is arrested, he has had a heavy addiction since his teen years. While in prison he talks with a therapist and they feel he has a change of heart, he has not committed ghastly enough crimes to sway his life completely off track, in this instance the system should focus on rehabilitation. Overall I want to believe that everyone is good and can always be changed to be a better person, this is why I want the system to focus on rehabilitation. However I have come to find the more I read and learn that many a times people just simply would rather not change, they want to continue on those paths and in these cases we can’t afford to put them into society with others.
Hope this helps :)
