1. In my opinion, every state should offer or stress a more rehabilitative approach, not just for accomplishing justice, but to best serve the public, in how they currently view criminal behavior. The amount of money that has been invested in constructing and maintaining prisons, is just astounding to say the least, factoring in the overpopulation of inmates, most of them being classified as mentally ill, or even wrongly sentenced or convicted. States should embrace indeterminate sentencing, since its residents are concerned about rehabilitative and deterrence methods rather than imprisonment. The varying public perceptions of these alternatives can affect their success, mostly by having those pick and favor a side politically, but state officials, including lawyers, are usually given broad discretion, in how a guilty defendant should be reconciled or treated. The cost and benefits of rehabilitative methods vary considerably, but expenditures mostly remain at a moderate price, ranging between the tens to hundreds of billions, and the benefits are that inmates get fair, stable, and potent treatment, for their underlying disorder(s), that’s causing them to commit their crimes.

As a matter of fact, an article that compares the costs of rehabilitation and incarceration, have statisically shown the numerous distinctions. “Studies show that if even 10 to 15% of those convicted of drug-related activities were sent to rehab instead of jail, an estimated $48 billion a year could be saved, which is a 40% increase in that rate would equate to $12.9 billion in additional purchasing power for our nation,” (Lesser, 2021). The textbook also mentions the costs of some rehabilitative methods that have taken place, to secure long-term savings and results. “As of December 2011, more than 2,600 drug courts were operating across all 50 states. The National Institute of Justice researchers found evidence that the programs are successful in both reducing recidivism, or the likelihood to reoffend, and lowering long-term costs, which initiated during the Clinton administration,” (Smith & Greenblatt, 2017, p. 456). Additionally, states have to cope with decreasing federal financial support and rising crime rates in suburban and rural areas. To close off, states can conserve tremendous amounts of money, just by implementing the preferred method of housing and treatment for prisoners, which guarantees safe and proactive neighborhoods, along with selecting the best policing models that deters those from their deviant acts.

2. I think this question depends on a few factors such as the type of criminal and the level of crime they committed. Currently the U.S. has more than 2 million people in jails and prisons. That is equivalent to 1 in every 142 U.S. citizens. Of that number “between 15 and 20 percent” (Benson) are mentally ill. In the past the prison system was built around reintegration into society. The punishment fit the crime and was often handed down to make you a good enough citizen to reenter society as a functional contributing member. At a certain point that changed to a tough on crime stance. The “approach has created explosive growth in the prison population, while having at most a modest effect on crime rates.” (Benson) Prison should be a place that rehabilitates you and gets you back to a place where you can be a normal person again. Things like drug charges, mental health issues, and things of that nature should be treated not punished. Even if drug offenses alone were treated differently the population in prisons would drastically drop freeing up tons in funding that can go to schools and education which prevents drug use from the start. Rehabilitation and forms of alternative justice should be available for people that qualify and can once again contribute to society. “The average cost per person in prison ranges from about $14,000 – $70,000 a year.” (Stephens) The average 30 day stay at a rehab will cost around $20,000. I believe the cost alone of enacting rehabilitation efforts would be significantly less than what we pump into our prison systems now. The short-term costs of sending people to rehab or a mental health facility over years in prison would save countless amounts of money long term. However, I think some crimes like murder, rape and things on that level should be treated with harsh punishments. Its difficult to say where the line would be.