The goal of this thesis is to discuss and examine the flaws in the prison industrial system here in the United States. Through thorough research and more importantly conversations with currently and formerly incarcerated individuals, it has become evident that the punitive nature of the jails and prisons inside the United States have only served to hurt a community of people who need help to get their lives back on track. These punishments have created a cycle of incarceration that is a huge factor in the phenomenon known as mass incarceration. In examining models from other countries, specifically in Europe, it can be assumed that there are effective methods in rehabilitating the incarcerated population to reestablish them into normal society. It can be concluded from this thesis that while it may take a massive cultural shift in the United States, reframing the goals of our jails and prisons from punishment oriented to restorative and rehabilitative will decrease the amount of people that return to these jails and prisons after being released a first time.
