Many of these prisoners will eventually be released back into society. As their future neighbors, employers, coworkers, customers, seems like it's in our best

Many of these prisoners will eventually be released back into society. As their future neighbors, employers, coworkers, customers, seems like it's in our best interest for them to be somewhat ready for that transition. As taxpayers, it's in our best interest to keep the recidivism rate low, as prison is expensive. As humans, we should want our fellow humans treated with some basic standard of respect, even if they are someone we're scared of.