[notthemessiah]

We have a high recidivism rate because are correctional institutions have no intention of correcting anything about our inmates. California profits off of private prison labor, and have no incentive to provide a path to recovery from a life of crime.

[ahh]

That's nice. Feel free to fix the prison system at any time; if the people who come out don't commit more crimes, I'll be happy.

In the meantime, imprison the people who do commit crimes, and if they do so again after they're out, imprison them again.

[gaganyaan]

Such a smooth-brained take.

There's a reason prisons are called "schools for crime", and it's because of silly lines like "if they do so again [...], imprison them again". Please actually think, and eventually realize that reducing recidivism rates is how you get your "people who come out don't commit more crimes".

[AnimalMuppet]

If you've got a way of reducing recidivism, we'd all love to see it. In the meantime, though, throwing insults at ahh doesn't actually refute his/her position.

[gaganyaan]

It's not a secret, it's common sense:

> Norway has one of the lowest recidivism rates in the world; in 2016, only 20% of inmates re-offended within 5 years. [...] Norway's prisons are renowned for being some of the best and most humane in the world.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incarceration_in_Norway

Treat people like people, it's that simple. Attitudes like ahh's arise from not expanding past using their lizard brain. They create more of the problem they purport to complain about. Straight contradiction.

[ahh]

You are welcome to advocate for pleasant, humane prisons. Run whatever antirecidivism campaigns you wish there. If they work, that's great.

In either case: send people who commit crime to those prisons. If they do it again, send them back.

[gaganyaan]

This isn't some theoretical thing. Countries with sane laws around this see far lower recidivism rates, today.

The proof is in the pudding, and your pudding is rotten. Give it some actual thought.

[WalterGR]

Which states don’t profit off of prisons?

[notthemessiah]

Many industrialized countries have banned forced prison labor, but still allow some form of voluntary labor. The 13th Amendment enshrines it at the highest law of the land of the United States, and prisoners are often punished for refusing forced labor. Forced penal labor is also embraced by many other authoritarian countries like Communist China and Vietnam.