The issue of crime within society has been a problem for many centuries past. There has always been cause for punishment of offenders, but only recently has prison become the main institution for doing so. Until the 18th century there were numerous methods for punishing crime, many too gruesome to be considered using today. Prison is now seen as being the greatest form of punishment an offender can be given; the greater the crime, the longer the sentence. But if this was the case, surely crime rates would be decreasing. The number of prisoners being incarcerated is steadily increasing, but similarly, so is the crime rate. If prison is really as fantastic as its proponents claimed it to be, then the crime rate should be decreasing. Instead we are currently living in a high crime society. These increased crime rates can be partly attributed to an increased level of reporting crimes, but that cannot be the sole explanation. The fact that prisons are not as effective as they should be can better account for rising crime rates.…
