I always wondered what people thought the role of jail was (I am not questioning its existence). The only two reasons I can think of explaining why jails could exist are because they 1) punish people who do illegal things and 2) to keep those people who did illegal things away from the public. I think establishing the true role of jail is crucial when handing out punishments. This is obviously not very controversial and people may not have many different view points, but I was curious. Opinions?

Yip, that's pretty much their role, those two things. The idea being that 'freedom' is what you're taking away to punish them. You can't necessarily fine everyone money, because not everyone has money, but everyone has freedom. For serious crimes, fining someone who has $$$$$ a few tens of thousands doesn't really punish them enough, but taking their freedom away definitely does.

The other idea is that being punished for your actions will make you less likely to commit further crimes in the future. Historically there was no real attempt at rehabilitation programmes, just punishment. I believe modern incarceration should involve rehabilitation programmes wherever practical, as this reduces the cost of crime both in terms of money and harm to society in the future.

One could also argue that Jails instill a sense of "fear" of committing a crime. You recognize that Jail is bad and in turn you avoid committing crime. At least that's one someone could argue.

Deterrent is a large force in law enforcement. A lot more people could get away with robbery, but a lot more people are afraid that their face will be caught on camera (or otherwise be identified), and then sent to prison.

Fear has always been used for controlling the masses.

I remember doing this in Sociology... It's something along the lines of "retribution, rehabilitation, deterrance", though I thought they all started with R. Oh well.

Yeah, you missed rehabilitation. That seems to be the prevailing theory and I have to agree. Most crimes are committed out of ignorance and necessity, you can at least take away one of those.

Anyone seen the MSNBC show called "Locked Up?" It's crazy what goes through the heads of some of those people; if their prisons are designed to rehab them, well it's not working at all...

That was one I said Maybe it was redemption? I don't know. Screw it!

Only two things can control the masses; fear and happiness. The moral dilemma is which do you use.

In this case fear of being caught deters most people from committing crimes. Before in the olden days the fear was death because most petty crimes like theft were so wide spread that to prevent it death was the punishment... although if a child stole they would be severally beaten or burned.

To understand the role of jail you must understand the reason criminals steal?... pleasure?, fame?, money?, because they have to so they can survive? Because people want an easy way to this they do crimes and to deter people from this they have setup a penal system.

To remove those from society who would harm us. It is a pity that we also remove those who would not.

I fully disagree with this. The masses can be controlled through reason and a social contract, it just has never been done.

Jail is the way the bourgeoisy has found to lock up the poors who are trying to survive.
Semi-kidding.

Jail is punishment. Punishment is the act of retaliation and instillment of fear. Retaliation is an act of anger. Anger breeds anger. Fear breeds anger. Jail is the breeding of anger. hahaha so cheap.

To bring justice to the people!
The problem with jail is... The people who don't care if they go to jail are the ones you need to worry about.
Also...
Prison is basically a more humane way of punishing people than death is.
The idea is that the people who will change will change, and the people who don't will end up back in prison again.
If there was a way of telling if the person was going to change, it might help.

The entire criminal justice system needs work though.
For example, I knew a guy who lost his job and couldn't pay for child support. They made him stay in jail every weekend. Does it make sense that he be locked up somewhere that he can't go look for a job?

When i said that statement i meant people who would commit crimes over and over again.

But i suppose your right even though its never been done before.

Post has been edited 1 time(s), last time on Apr 26 2011, 11:09 pm by Tempz.

Yeah jail is supposedly a form of punishment but is unfortunately not place of rehabilitation. It seems to be the best place to put such programs because its directly at the people who need mental changes.I think there should be rehabilitation programs...at the cost of everything else jails currently offer.

Srsly some prisons give television, food, books, and a comfy beds to prisoners who behave. People out in the real world who have committed no crimes don't even get any of that stuff and are suffering. It's ridiculous. Also just putting people in prison is incredibly costly. It's possibly around 18,000 to 31,000 annually in the US.

Also some jails offer condoms in vending machines...promoting prison rape really?

The purpose of jails has changed over time.

They have always been a means of keeping dangerous people away from the rest of society, but they've also functioned as a way of keeping beggars and homeless off the streets, or other people who might "inconvenience" the public. Punishment is another purpose - one which has definitely changed with the years. Now the removal of one's freedom and being put in a place where you might get raped and humiliated is generally seen as punishment enough, but in the past you could be whipped in jail, made to break rocks or walk on the "treadmill" in order to punish you further and force you to do hard work.

Nowadays people generally realise the value in attempting to reform a lot of criminals while they're in jail. You get some incorrigible cases, true, but for every criminal you successfully reform, that's one more guy who isn't going to come back to prison and add to the overcrowding problem. Jail without rehabilitation probably hardens criminals to the extent where you need to throw away the key.