One of the ideals and goals of the Progressive Movement in the early 20th Century was prisoner rehabilitation. But the US is just too punitive in nature to ever

One of the ideals and goals of the Progressive Movement in the early 20th Century was prisoner rehabilitation. But the US is just too punitive in nature to ever want to rehabilitate prisoners. We don't want to help non-criminals, so why on Earth would we want to help those who have made mistakes? As Articbull mentioned, slavery is permitted in the Constitution for prisons. So even our noble eradication of slavery after the Civil War was incomplete. And surprise, surprise, what population group is over-represented in prison? I sent a friend a link to a YT video showing the prison conditions in Norway. He thought that was nuts. How will they learn the error of their ways if they don't suffer? Even trying to appeal to practical concerns like recidivism rates doesn't work. To the cold-hearted, that just proves that these felons are incorrigible and deserve to be locked away forever.