Title: Rewarding good behavior of prisoners is a benefit to society, Stanford expert says
Headings: Rewarding good behavior of prisoners is a benefit to society, Stanford expert says
Rewarding good behavior of prisoners is a benefit to society, Stanford expert says
‘Something better than parole’
‘Psychological straitjacket’

Content: So maybe more people will steal cars. “The reason why reducing sentences should not increase crime is because behaving well in prison is difficult.” ‘Psychological straitjacket’
There is a cost to behaving well, which Polinsky describes as putting oneself in a “psychological straightjacket.” A prisoner must refrain from certain misconduct, such as assaulting guards, refusing to perform work tasks and possessing drugs. As his study demonstrates, prisoners incur a cost by behaving well that creates additional deterrences to crime. They might be getting a one-year shorter sentence, but suffer the same overall “disutility” or unhappiness, said Polinsky. He pointed out that recent events have highlighted the national criminal justice issue. During the summer, President Obama became the first sitting president to visit a federal prison. And on his historic first visit to the United States, Pope Francis went to a correctional facility in Philadelphia. Currently, more than 2.4 million people are incarcerated in the U.S., according to Polinsky.