But first, we need to stop using punishment as a principal justification for lengthy prison terms and, instead, reserve prison for those who pose a grave risk to public safety.

Image Credit... Agnes Lee

Punishment, where productive, could still be employed through sanctions and local supervision of graduated intensity. But instead of going to prison, low-risk offenders should stay in the community.

This emphasis on results over retribution would bring many benefits. Not only would it help redeem America’s image abroad, but it would also help restore many communities that have come to regard prison as a rite of passage. Also, offenders not in prison are better able to pay restitution to victims. And, finally, reform could frustrate the private prison industry’s unconscionable efforts to profit off mass incarceration.

Some think the existence of long prison terms for nonviolent offenders is a myth. That is not the case in many states. In Louisiana, writing a bad check can be worth up to 10 years. Even in Minnesota, a leader in community corrections, the time served for drug offenses has increased 99 percent since 1990. It’s time to reverse these trends, and not just because it’s cheaper.

CHIP CORWIN

Madison, Wis., Nov. 26, 2012

The writer is a third-year student at the University of Wisconsin Law School.