Is Rehabilitation a Purpose of Prison?

I read an article recently in my hometown's newspaper where a trial judge was quoted as saying the purpose of adult prison, versus juvenile detention, is for punishment and isolation from society, not for rehabilitation. Certainly these do serve one purpose of prison, but to hear a judge state that rehabilitation is a goal of the juvenile courts but not of adult courts is both revealing and disheartening. When I read the judge's quote it reinforced to me the court and prison administration's belief that Michigan's adult prisoners are either not able to be rehabilitated or are not worth the effort.

Certainly the Michigan Department of Corrections has made some efforts toward rehabilitation with a few classes mandated to some prisoners. These classes include VPP, a focus on violence prevention; Bridges, to deter domestic violence; and Thinking for a Change, a class on critical thinking. Other classes also exist, but these seem to have the primary focus. 

The problem with these programs is that they all require changes in thinking, and since prison policy is to wait until a prisoner is nearing release before putting him in his required classes prisoners often spend years in prison with their old thinking patterns. As any first year psychology student will tell you, any change in behavior requires first a change in thinking. 

The unfortunate fact is that the Michigan prison system is more focused on spending its nearly $2 billion budget on sentences significantly longer than most other states rather than on affecting changes through rehabilitation that will reduce re-offense rates.

Until the public demands a more effective use of its funds, judges like the one in my county, and prison administrators will continue the status quo of punishment and isolation over a balanced approach that includes rehabilitation.