Prisons keep convicts separate from the the rest of the population. They also, through their existence and the existence of prison rape, serve as a deterrent to crime, particularly the sort of white collar crime ordinary people might consider committing (embezzlement, fraud, DMCA violation).
The prison system is not completely without positive effect. However, I would argue that simple removal from society for a specified period of time results in the bulk of the benefit. However, there stands room for improvement. A prime example would be ending the practice of tacitly allowing prison rape. The laws of a country should not stop being enforced at the prison doorstep-I see little ethical difference between ignoring an impending rape in Central Park and the jail shower. There is a practical difference between the cost of ignoring either crime, but prison rape does have a net cost to society.
If we are going to allow prison rape, let's include it in our sentencing. You get x years of frequent non-consensual butt-sex. This way, we have made the deterrent value more apparent, which, by the logic of most prison rape defenders, would be a net gain.
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Prisons keep convicts separate from the the rest of the population. They also, through their existence and the existence of prison rape, serve as a deterrent to crime, particularly the sort of white collar crime ordinary people might consider committing (embezzlement, fraud, DMCA violation).
The prison system is not completely without positive effect. However, I would argue that simple removal from society for a specified period of time results in the bulk of the benefit. However, there stands room for improvement. A prime example would be ending the practice of tacitly allowing prison rape. The laws of a country should not stop being enforced at the prison doorstep-I see little ethical difference between ignoring an impending rape in Central Park and the jail shower. There is a practical difference between the cost of ignoring either crime, but prison rape does have a net cost to society.
If we are going to allow prison rape, let's include it in our sentencing. You get x years of frequent non-consensual butt-sex. This way, we have made the deterrent value more apparent, which, by the logic of most prison rape defenders, would be a net gain.