Our system was developed with an eye towards penitence (this started with Eastern State penitentiary in Pennsylvania). Forced penitence is a flawed concept to b

Our system was developed with an eye towards penitence (this started with Eastern State penitentiary in Pennsylvania). Forced penitence is a flawed concept to begin with which renders our penal system almost ineffectual in its current state. The fact of the matter is that certain people are better off separated from society while other people could do with a brief respite coupled with some therapy. This is most aparant in non-violent cases involving drugs. The war on drugs has ruined more lives than conceivable and this is while our government has realized the bad effects of prohibition for almost a century now (there is an entire constitutional amendment). The war on drugs has the effect of granting criminal organizations a monopoly over vices. While vices might not be attractive, they are necessary and granting the monopoly to violent organizations is at best gross negligence on our government's behalf.