Humanities Homework Help

Many of us are eager to critique the prison system, but before doing so, we should consider the
functions that prison was designed to perform. What useful purpose (or purposes) could the
prison system serve? Ideally, what benefits could a prison system provide for society?
Some possible functions of prison include punishment, rehabilitation, deterrence, retribution, or
ensuring the safety of the rest of society. However, these aren’t the only possible functions.
Should prisons, for example, generate a profit as recompense for the justice system’s time and
effort? Should they serve as a model of our nation’s values and an example for other societies?
Assignment: Write a 3-5 page paper that articulates your stance on the purpose of
imprisonment. You must support your argument with source material. You must use at least one
quote from our class reading and at least one quote from a credible outside source. Your paper
MUST include MLA-style citations for all sources you use (both in-text and a Works Cited
sheet).
Remember, this is an argument. It is not enough to declare that the prison system should punish
inmates and deter crime – you must explain why punishment and deterrence should be the
primary functions of prison. If you would like to argue that the prison system serves NO useful
purpose, and that imprisonment should not be used as a response to crime, you may do so – but
this is a much harder argument to support, and you should come see me for guidance.