Well, that's a whole different discussion. Assume that the criminals are 100% irrational, random, and not influenced by external inputs; even then, inprisonmen

Well, that's a whole different discussion. Assume that the criminals are 100% irrational, random, and not influenced by external inputs; even then, inprisonment has a value to society of containing the possibility of bad actions by those bad actors during the prison term. The fact that the recidivism rate is far less than 100% also tells us that criminals are not 100% random, irrational, and unresponsive to external inputs. A significant number do actually rehabilitate, whether by taking advantage of counseling, rethinking their choices, or simple fear of re-inprisonment. So yes, it seems that until we come up with something better, making the system more accurate is the way to go.