You've Already Had Your Turn Kim ...

and what we have in 'corrections' is essentially your legacy, Kim. Quite simply what has evolved has not worked and cannot.

'Punishment' has been confused with rehabilitation to the extent that prison can only questionably be seen as a 'punishment.' If punishment is defined as an event that reduces the occurrence of a behaviour, then it is most definitely not a punishment .... if an incarcerated one is to 'keep one's nose clean ("yes boss," and do it),' then there is access to so much: education; sports; weight training; exercise programmes; painting; carving; 'therapy' groups; life-skills training; social skills training; anger management; alcohol counselling; religous instruction; individual counselling; films; personal tv, radio, music; the ability to make a drink pretty much when wanted; often recreational drugs and pornography (or approximations to); pretty much unfettered use of the telephone; regular visits; regular and nutritious meals and the ability to make complaint about anything and mostly have it addressed very seriously.
So once in prison a new lifestyle is quickly established - an emotional reaction to incarceration is increasingly a rarity. A more likely scenario is, " Ah bro', good to see you ... what you in for this time bro'." So no contrast between what was and what is now (e.g. Millionaire prisoner involved in drug ring), hence ... "What we do know is that sending them to prison rather than home detention will increase the likelihood of reoffending."

Mr Workman said at present, 31 per cent of people on home detention were reconvicted within two years of completing their sentence, compared with 57 per cent of people released from prison.
This may of course indicate that selection of those for home detention does,to an extent, comprise those less likely to reoffend.

"The latest research indicates that residential alcohol and drug treatment in the community reduces reoffending by up to 43 per cent, while treatment in prison reduces reoffending by between 13 per cent and 30 per cent," he said.
Again this says nothing more than that the selection process is marginally effective. The difference is not what is involved in the 'residential alcohol and drug treatment' packages.

But Kim Workman, director of the Rethinking Crime and Punishment project, said today that criminal justice professionals were becoming increasingly concerned that justice policy was being pushed through the legislative process in the absence of evidence-based research, good information, and adequate consultation.

'Evidence-based,' the new catch phrase.