Transformative Justice by Karlene Faith Transformative Justice by Karlene Faith Prisons are destructive to the individuals who are kept in them, and to society at large.
Reform is futile.
We must transform. No one could have warned the Quakers that, by replacing capital punishment with prisons, they were establishing a punishment that can be worse than death. The introduction of the indeterminate sentence, with a parole board deciding on a release date, was intended to facilitate the process of rehabilitation. No one warned the policy makers that the indeterminate sentence would result in virtual life sentences for individuals whose crimes aren't necessarily serious but who can't adapt to prison. Parole boards become political tools of politicians, who, in turn, are guided by popular opinion, formed via the media.