This is not a question of about parroted nonsense and cultural norms. I mean what end product do they produce that justifies their existence in the first place.
I’m physically disabled and have been living in a prison like situation for nearly 11 years. How does my situation balance into the ethics of prisons? I’m on a path to homelessness and a premature death due to institutionalized neglect and abuse from US institutions. Criminals are housed and fed in exchange for similar isolation, abuse, danger, insurmountable debt, and a largely unemployable and destitute future. These seem to conflict in ethics.
Prisons serve to remove a person from society (in the civilised world).
Removing a person from society has two subtly different justifications:
Consider the difference between violent crimes (1) and nonviolent crimes (2).
Note that some societies expand (2) to include more punishment than just separation from society.