The 1997 costs are the latest year's available data. The Corrections Yearbook, 1998. The Criminal Justice Institute. This statement is obviously true. We do not get our money's worth from the jail system.
Criminals simply expand their knowledge of criminal techniques and hone their skills.
Rehabilitation does not seem to be effective as many criminals return to jail several times during the course of their lives. Therefore, US citizens are paying to teach criminals MORE about being a criminal . This does not seem like an efficient way to spend our money. The government needs to find some way to make the rehabilitation process more effective. Also, the crime rate does not equal the expenditures incurred for corrections facilities.