This is an archived comment posted by Alex Sloat. You can view the original
here. The purpose of jail is not simply punitive. It is also to rehabilitate, also to deter others from committing crimes and also to protect society from harm. The balance and effectiveness of these goals is somewhat controversial, but they do exist
It's first job is to punish. Any rehab that can be done on the side is all well and good, but you're not there becaus you need help, you're there because you did something wrong. The deterrence comes in because of the punishment("You do this, you'll spend time in jail"), and the method of punishment was chosen so that it would protect society. I should restate that the primary, and by far most important, purpose of jail is to punish the offender. [ Parent ]
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