Why Prison Often Fails to Change Behavior

"Earlier reflections in this column have explored how violence often emerges from unaddressed emotional pain, trauma, and the slow erosion of empathy long before a crime is committed. Those discussions show how dangerous minds are formed through silence, neglect, and unmet psychological needs rather than sudden moral collapse. The question that follows naturally is what happens when those minds enter the criminal justice system."

"Recidivism forces an uncomfortable pause. When individuals cycle in and out of prison, the issue cannot be reduced to personal failure or lack of will. High rates of reoffending suggest that something essential remains untouched during confinement. Psychology asks not only whether punishment occurred, but whether any meaningful internal transformation was made possible. What Prison Is Expected to Do Courts sentence with multiple goals in mind: accountability, deterrence, public safety, and rehabilitation."

"From a psychological perspective, however, behavior does not change simply because it is restricted. Internal regulation, identity formation, and emotional processing determine whether a person can respond differently once released. Without addressing these dimensions, incarceration risks managing behavior temporarily rather than transforming it in any lasting way. What Prison Often Does to a Person Psychologically Research increasingly shows that incarceration alone rarely produces consistent rehabilitative outcomes."

Violence frequently springs from unaddressed emotional pain, trauma, and the gradual erosion of empathy well before any crime occurs. High recidivism rates indicate that confinement often leaves essential psychological needs unmet, preventing enduring change. Legal sentences aim for accountability, deterrence, public safety, and rehabilitation, but time and restriction alone do not alter internal regulation or identity. Lasting behavioral change depends on emotional processing, identity formation, and relational support. Without addressing these dimensions, incarceration tends to manage behavior temporarily rather than enable meaningful internal transformation, and rehabilitation outcomes vary with program quality, continuity, and relational depth.

Read at Psychology Today