Foucault and the Prison System

Chapter Six: Foucault claims that there is a reluctance to be rid of the prison system. Why do you think this is so, given its failures, as described by Foucault?

Due to the prison systems many failures Foucault believes that there is a reluctance to be done with prisons completely.  He believes there is reluctance because prisons do not decrease the crime rate and I can agree with this to a great extent. In my opinion there are a lot of "criminals" who should not be in prison, for instance those who do not pay parking tickets or who missed child support payments. Criminals who should be behind bars are murders, rapists, thieves and so forth. They are the real criminals. The system works in funny ways and doesn't always allow for justice and this is where the failure happens. It is not necessarily the prison but the way the laws are set up. Cases should be handled more carefully and reviewed thoroughly to ensure that the person is getting either rehabilitation or the jail time he/she might deserve. The prison system shouldn't always be about punishing but about fixing, helping people to better their lives by getting them help and stopping the problem. Prisons should be kept but prisoners, at least those who deserve it, should be given the help they require to return to the outside world as fully functioning members of society. Failure to rehabilitate is failure enough.
WC:212