Rehabilitation ought to be valued above Retribution in the US Crimial Justice system

Resolved: Rehabilitation ought to be valued above Retribution in the United States Criminal Justice system. Rehabilitation- the restoration of someone to a useful place in society Princeton Retribution-the act of punishing or taking vengeance for wrongdoing free legal dictionary I value Societal Welfare which is defined as what is best for society as a whole. Societal welfare is best achieved through the standard of Consequentialism. When we take strive to benefit the greatest good we then achieve societal welfare. Cummisky author of Kantian Consequentialism writes, In such a situation, what would a conscientious Kantian agent, an agent motivated by the unconditional value of rational being choose? We have a duty to promote the conditions necessary for the existence of rational beings[.], but both choosing to act and choosing not to act will cost the life of a rational being. Since the basis of Kant"s principle is rational nature exists as an end-in-itself, the reasonable solution to such a dilemma involves promoting, insofar as one can, the conditions necessary for rational beings. If I sacrifice some for the sake of other rational beings, I do not use them arbitrarily and I do not deny the unconditional value of rational beings. Persons may have dignity, an unconditional and incomparable value that transcends any market value, but, as rational beings, persons also have a fundamental equality, which dictates that some must sometimes give way for the sake of others. The formula of the end-in-itself thus does not support the view that we may never force another to bear some cost in order to benefit others. If one focuses on the equal value of all rational beings, then equal consideration dictates that one may sacrifice some to save many. Prefer the affirmative framework for the following reasons: 1.By valuing societal welfare affirming takes on the role of the government by instituting a policy that benefits society. 2.The standard of Consequentialism allows us to avoid deontological drama by achieving a real world mindset. Contention 1- The current system causes more harms than good. Sub.A) overcrowding Sub.B) crime increase Although retributive punishment yields good intentions, allowing the criminal justice system"s main focus to be retribution harms society. Retributive punishment such as the death penalty increases crime. Retribution Increases Crime BRUTALIZING SOCIETY DOES NOT HELP. BBC, 2012: Ethics Guide: Arguments against capital punishment: A breakdown of the arguments given in favor of abolishing (or against reintroducing) the death penalty. http://www.bbc.co.uk... Statistics show that the death penalty leads to a brutalization of society and an increase in murder rate. In the USA, more murders take place in states where capital punishment is allowed. In 2003, the murder rate in states where the death penalty has been abolished was 4.10 per cent per 100,000 people. In states where the death penalty is used, the figure was 5.91 per cent. These calculations are based on figures from the FBI. The gap between death penalty states and non‐death penalty states rose considerably from 4 per cent difference in 1990 to 44 per cent in 2003. Disturbed individuals may be angered and thus more likely to commit murder. It is also linked to increased number of police officers murdered. Brutalizing the state Capital punishment may brutalize society in a different and even more fundamental way, one that has implications for the state's relationship with all citizens.