My thought is that the justice system should exist to make the country a better place. If criminals can be rehabilitated, they should be. If they can't, why are

My thought is that the justice system should exist to make the country a better place. If criminals can be rehabilitated, they should be. If they can't, why are we keeping them alive for 50 years in a cage, raping people? Prison isn't the solution to every criminal problem, and harsh prisons just seem to produce more harden criminals. I wish we got over our squeamishness for non-prison punishments. For example, the "nanny cam" robber in NJ had twelve prior convictions, including one for a similar crime. You should watch the video, but I warn you it is graphic[1]. What does he add to society by staying alive? Is he going to turn his life around at the age of 42 and suddenly become a good father, an influential artist, or a visionary scientist? Or hell, even a guy with a steady job that doesn't commit gratuitous acts of violence against his fellow citizens? I fear no matter how far we lower the bar, this man will not pass it. Maybe I'm naive, but I reread "The Diamond Age" recently and I had a lot of respect for the brand of justice dispensed by Judge Fang. For example, Judge Fang would probably not order the death penalty on criminals like this[2] (again, graphic video) because they are young and probably much more malleable. But they need a punishment that is strongly focused on rehabilitation. In our justice system they will be sent to a prison that will only harden their criminal tendencies. [1] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qU0EJS3cJIc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qU0EJS3cJIc [2] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y70tZDW2AqY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y70tZDW2AqY