Since the first system of laws was developed, punishment has been officially sanctioned to regulate criminal behavior. The punishment ideology holds that criminal behavior is the enemy of society, and those violating the law should be incarcerated. Yet most people feel our jails and prisons are overcrowded but are doing nothing to correct criminal behavior.

With that in mind, examine the role of punishment and consider, is anything being "corrected" in corrections? What are your feelings on this issue? How do you think our criminal justice system is correcting criminal behavior, particularly in our jails and prisons?