Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishment inflicted. The Rehabilitation of Prisoners is a widely discussed and argued topic. There are two different methods in which prisoners are rehabilitated. Rehabilitation relies on the assumption that no punishment is severe enough that a criminal will be able to be reformed and socially integrated with the community after his sentence is served. Previously, the Penal Code stated, “the purpose of sentencing is punishment.” Now, it is declared, “the purpose of sentencing is public safety, achieved through punishment, rehabilitation, and restorative justice.” These simple words mark a tectonic shift in attitude. The idea of punishment is closely associated with the idea of rehabilitation when we employ it with children, for example. Rehabilitation gives one a chance to learn about his/her debilitating problems and offers for one to learn how to change their behavior in order to not commit crime. I feel that punishment is best for the most severe crimes, such as murder. Since then, however, rehabilitation has taken a back seat to a "get tough on crime" approach that sees punishment as prison's main function, says Haney. For example, drug use, physical and emotional abuse and poverty are all factors that lead to this. In comparison to Canada, England, and Japan, the United States has the highest rate of incarcerated individuals (Elrich, n.d.). We believe that providing negative consequences for off-limits behaviors will lead to avoidance of those behaviors, and the goal is not to exact revenge but to better enable children to function in society. Rehabilitation versus Punishment – Table. I believe that rehabilitation in most cases is best for the offender. One is a punishment approach to rehabilitation by forcing inmates to tasks such as community service and parole, whereas the other method is by education and psychotherapy. Here, a Louisiana trial court found Patrick Kennedy guilty of raping his eight-year-old stepdaughter. Punishment versus Rehabilitation Stephen Lafond AJS/502 July 22, 2012 Arnold Wicker, Sr. , C. P. P. Punishment versus Rehabilitation Citizens living in a free society depend on a justice system and the rule of law to create a perception of security that allows for a dynamic and productive environment.Throughout history members of society that failed to comply with, or broke established … We know what punishment is. 1157 words 4 page(s) It is estimated that 1.2 million Americans are housed in the prison system. Punishment within the Adult Justice will be referred to as incarceration in order to keep the topic spectrum narrow. (Passed by Congress September 25, 1789) Rehabilitation or Punishment ? Punishment vs Rehabilitation. Ironically, the “land of the free” has more people imprisoned in proportion to its population than any other developed country in the world. Vanson Ma 12/3/15 ENGL 2000 Rehabilitation vs. An example of retribution, in the case of Kennedy v. Louisiana, was decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in June 2008. The approach has created explosive growth in the prison population, while having at most a modest effect on crime rates. Punishment As Americans, we are very proud of our freedom.