Offenders need support to keep from recidivism

Prisons do not provide offenders with the resources they need to be successfully reintegrated into society. Many of the reasons people commit crimes are motivated by poverty, abuse, and mental illness. Rather than simply locking people up and then releasing them to re-offend, we should target the issues that cause them to offend in the first place, thus abolishing the need for prisons and providing more support for our society's citizens. Norway has the most successful prison system in the world, with only twenty percent of inmates reoffending. Their prisons are intended to only remove an inmate's freedom, not to treat people inhumanely. Norweigan prisons offer inmates rehabilitation programs to prepare them for life after released to retain a sense of normality while in incarceration. By offering prisoners so many opportunities and still treating them with dignity, Norway has a tiny incarcerated population and low crime rates.^[1] Only punishing inmates will not improve their behavior or quality of life, and will make it more difficult to have a normal life once released. Breaking the cycle of incarceration and recidivism will decrease crime rates and prison populations. ^[2]

[P1] Prisons do not prepare inmates to live in the free world. [P2] Prisons should provide rehabilitation to inmates to prevent recidivism. [P3] Norway has a successful prison system due to its rehabilitation programs. [P4] Punishment is not effective in changing behavior, but rehabilitation is. [P5] Therefore, prisons should be reformed.