Jason Pursley Crime and Punishment.

1. The American prison system generally functions with four goals in mind: retribution against those who
have harmed others, incapacitation to prevent them from committing further crimes, deterrence to
discourage similarly minded individuals outside of prison from enacting further crimes and rehabilitation
to reform the criminals inside the prisons into functional and law abiding members of society.

2. The conditions of prisons in both Alabama and Mississippi seems to be that they are both
understaffed and ill equipped to deal with the needs of the populace and the inmates, and as a result no
one feels safe or secure. Additionally, it results in people lashing out at their needs not being met and
either attempting to get it for themselves in terms of peace of mind or trying to get out and be free of
the system. Ethically speaking it suggests that the conditions are not respects Kant’s ideals of
personhood as they do not “own” themselves while incarcerated.

3. Norway’s prisons allow for their prisoners to learn vocational crafts and offers them with care and
assistance both during and after their time in prison for both health care and addiction treatment
Norway, so far as can be seen, aims to reduce the number of prisoners and crimes committed by
focusing on rehabilitation and ensuring that any convicts have the chance to get useful work experience
and training and then helps them with employment afterwards.

A. Kant might say that as convicts guilty of crimes, they should be subject to punishment, not rendered
assistance.

B. Given that the only thing being taken from the prisoners is the ability to leave the walls of the prison, I
suspect Locke would consider these men to close to the “natural state” and their aim of enabling their
prisoners to be productive members of society rather than punishing them to be in line with his
philosophy.

C. Given the prison system operates the same way for all prisoners, it falls well within the bound of
Utilitarianisms ideals of not allowing prejudice to allow for antipathy as the systems goes out of way to
help after their time in prison.