Should we just lock prisoners up for life? Or perhaps we should skip that and murder them behind the courthouse after they've been convicted, saving some taxpay

Should we just lock prisoners up for life? Or perhaps we should skip that and murder them behind the courthouse after they've been convicted, saving some taxpayer dollars in the process? Neither is a practical or morally justifiable answer, of course. Other than cases where defendants are sentenced to life without parole, most of the people incarcerated in the United States will eventually be released from prison (whether it be through parole or because their sentence has been completed). A purely punitive prison system does nothing to prepare prisoners for their eventual release back into society. Which, again, will happen for most prisoners. Even setting aside the moral questions with that approach, you merely increase the odds of re-offending. How is that better for society?