[jrimclean]

I agree with you, but once a person is in the prison system, the goal should be rehabilitation because almost all prisoners will re enter society at some point. The problem is that the prison system isn't very good at rehabilitation as evidenced by the high rates of recidivism. Ask yourself this: does prison, as it exists today, make convicts better people?

[7Z7]

>But what if the BJS’s findings have been fundamentally misunderstood? That’s the provocative contention of a recent paper published in the journal Crime & Delinquency, the title of which is “Following Incarceration, Most Released Offenders Never Return to Prison.”

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/crime/2015/1...

[13of40]

Recidivism should naturally be higher in a country where per capita incarceration is higher, right?

[cb18]

And I here agree with you. Reduced crime including from ex-cons would obviously be the preferred situation.

Do you know if prison systems that have more of a reform focus have reduced recidivism rates? If so, what can be learned from these systems?

If it has been shown, that certain methods lead to better outcomes, what are the obstacles to implementing these changes in the US, or other countries?