| Impisonment is not rehabilitative in nature. Nobody claims that it is. It is mainly retribution and sometimes (depending on the individual) deterrence. When a person commits a crime, justice demands that he punished according to the gravity of the crime. Imprisonment is severe punishment. Hence it should be reserved for crimes in the higher end of the scale of culpability. Yes, it's a brutal regime, but, by definition, it is meant for the brutal criminal. Of course society is best served by having criminals rehabilitated, but how do we go about doing that in respect of brutal hardened criminals? |