United States Correctional SystemThe United States Correctional System is established for the period following a conviction to punish convicted criminals and prepare them to reenter society as a productive member. Unfortunately, Langan and Levin (2002), statisticians from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, report that 67.5% of prisoners released from prison are rearrested within three years. Obviously, there is some sort of breakdown in the correction area of ​​the criminal justice matrix. Although current prison systems are overcrowded, the public must evaluate options for removing criminals from the system and giving them every opportunity to remain productive members of society upon release. The correctional system is in place to both punish and rehabilitate offenders. In the fight to reduce crime, rehabilitation is the most effective solution. The current prison system punishes criminals by limiting their lives and making life on the inside uncomfortable. While the people inside are provided with meals, running water, beds, air conditioning, physical activity and entertainment, everything that would be considered necessary, most of which law-abiding citizens do not have access to, incarceration is not meant to be fun. Convicts must live by a strict set of rules. Tonry reported (as cited in Weisberg, 2012) that the larger the prison population, the greater the society's commitment to reform. This is not always the case, in recent times the nation is becoming tough on crime and in no way seeks that criminals have an easy way out or even the necessary treatment. The reasons why punishing criminals is a good deterrent of crime that By taking away an individual's freedom, you make him re...... middle of paper ...... to change the system to satisfy needs. The system works today as the United States is today and will continue to change to accommodate new waves of criminal activity. Works Cited Benson, E. (2003). Rehabilitation to punish? Psychology Monitor, 34(7), 46.Langan, P. A., & Levin, D. J. (2002). Recidivism of Prisoners Published 1994. Retrieved from http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/rpr94.pdfSchmalleger, F. J. (2011). Criminal Justice Today: An Introductory Text for the 21st Century (11th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NY: Prentice Hall. Subcommittee on Corrections and Rehabilitation. (2006). Oversee federal assistance for the rehabilitation and reentry of prisoners in our states. (Serial No. J-109-114). Washington, DC: Government Printing Office. Weisberg, R. (2012). Philosophies of punishment challenged by reality. Marquette Law Review, 95(4), 1203-1252.