Chairman-Mao said:
Good point. There is a big difference.
I'd consider prison a punishment rather than rehabilitation. Rehab is for addicts/junkies; you can get someone off drugs but you can't turn a killer into a saint (in my opinion).
I think 10 years in a dark room by himself with nothing but bread and water will more likely stop someone from ever killing again than teaching them skills and trying to make them a better person ever will. What I mean is if I had to spend 10 years in solitary confinement then I would be afraid to ever commit another crime in fear I'd have to go through that again...on the other hand getting guitar lessons and interacting others will make prison a somewhat bearable experience and people won't be as afraid to go back since they know prison isn't that terrible. Do you get what i mean? |
I think solitary confinement would make them far more likely to kill again. I've been reading around the subject of solitary confinement today (because I'm a geek), and it causes many psychological disorders, many of them severely dangerous. Just a short extract from an article on isolation in prisons.
"Dr. Stuart Grassian, an expert on the results of living in extended isolation, has commented at length on the psychiatric harm that can come to people subjected to long-term isolation. He interviewed people who began to cut themselves just so they can "feel" something and reports panic attacks and a progressive inability to tolerate ordinary stimulation. Isolation has been documented as a cause of paranoia, problems with impulse control, extreme motor restlessness, delusions, suspiciousness, confusion, and depression. I have treated a number of ex-control unit prisoners who come out with serious symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress."
Solitary confinement clearly breeds psychological disorders in those who are subjected to it. People who have been subjected to extended solitary confinement are clearly not fit for society, significantly more so than they were before.
I think teaching someone skills is obviously a far better way of stopping them re-offending.
