Prisons Are Expensive, but Their Cost Might Be Justified If

Multiple Choice

Prisons are expensive, but their cost might be justified if they help teach people that "crime doesn't pay." Do prisons deter those who end up incarcerated from committing more crimes after they are released from prison?

A) Yes, prisons greatly deter most who have been imprisoned from committing additional crimes
B) Yes, prisons deter some prisoners from additional crime but only a small proportion
C) No, prisons have little effect on the rates of additional crime committed by those who have been previously imprisoned
D) No, prisons have a criminogenic effect leading to more rather than less crimes by those who have been previously imprisoned