One of the odder notions of classical penal thinking is that people can somehow be made good by doing nasty things to them. Of course, a criminal might think twice about breaking the law again having had a spell in prison but this does not imply reform. All that has happened is that the deterrent effect has been reinforced. The urge to break the rules is still there. Incarceration is not, of itself, reformative., For adults, coercion is totally inimical to personal change. However, there is no reason why the opportunity of reform should not be offered to prisoners. If they choose to use the time positively, so much the better. BACK