What is Justice to you? And what should Jails be doing if not serve Justice?

[Deidre32]

Agree with most comments here, I'd say that jails should be more rehabilitative. Often jails are merely measures of punishment, and the people who end up paroled, are worse than when they initially were incarcerated.

[Hijiri Byakuren]

As things are, prisons in America tend to be more like a university for hardened criminals than an actual punishment. Logically speaking, if the punishment method isn't working, try rehabilitation. If nothing else, you'll at least keep their minds occupied so they aren't figuring out ways to be better criminals when they get out.

[AllPurposeAtheist]

Justice has been the common patrimony of humanity throughout the ages. It does not cease to exist for the majority even when it [is] twisted in some (“exclusive”) circles. Obviously it is a concept which is inherent in man, since it cannot be traced to any other source. Justice exists even if there are only a few individuals who recognize it as such. The love of justice seems to me to be a different sentiment from the love of people (or at least the two only coincide partially). And in periods of mass decadence, when the question is posed, “Why bother? What are the sacrifices for?”it is possible to answer with certainty: “for justice.”There is nothing relative about justice, as there is nothing relative about conscience. Indeed, justice is conscience, not a personal conscience but the conscience of the whole of humanity. Those who clearly recognize the voice of their own conscience usually also recognizes the voice of justice. I consider that in all social or historical questions (if we are aware of them, not from heresay or books, but are touched by them spiritually), justice will always suggest a way of action (or thinking) that is not in conflict with one’s conscience.

~~RESISTANCE IN THE GULAG ARCHIPELAGO (1918-1956) By Donald G. Boudreau, PhD, MPA

Good read by the way.. It's free on Kindle

[Solitary]

(Justice) Obviously it is a concept which is inherent in man, since it cannot be traced to any other source.

This is not true at all, only retribution and revenge from our basic animal instincts turns two wrongs into a right which is not logical because it is done for the same reason a criminal justifies what he does, so people don't feel guilty for being no different than a criminal with being the basic animal we are. It's based on emotions and not sound reasoning, which shows that the so-called justice system should be for protecting society, not personal feelings.

If some criminal harms my family, forget what I wrote. That still doesn't make it right just because societies laws say it is. Might is not right, even if it seems to exist in our lives, and every Tom Dick and Jane think it is..  I'm being serious about this. How many people throughout history have been wronged because of mob rule and, "An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth"? Solitary

[Jason Harvestdancer]

The modern jail is a result of evolution.  It isn't what it started out as.

Originally jail wasn't the punishment.  Jail was simply where you went to await punishment.  It could be indentured servitude, it could be flogging, it could be exile, it could be capital punishment.  There was no jail time as punishment.

At some point, it was concluded that rehabilitation would work better than punishment, and the rehabilitation was better served in jail than elsewhere.  That trend still exists but not as strongly as it could have been.  The end result is that people started to consider time in jail to be the punishment, and as a result more serious crimes (sic) were sentenced to longer sentences.

Overlook in the question of punishment and rehabilitation is what I consider the real goal of justice.  The goal should be restitution.  The victim of the crime should be compensated to the best the circumstances allow.  It won't always be possible, especially since real crimes are very hard to compensate.  How does one compensate rape or murder?  Still, rehabilitation should be the goal of justice.