Prison is a punishment given to someone who has broken the law. The prison sentence is given to an individual who has broken the law to do it again and to discourage other people by his example. It has been used as a punishment in many countries for many years. The number of criminals has never decreased; it has only increased over the years. In the United States between 1992 and 1995, a 43% increase in arrests for marijuana and other crimes was accompanied by a considerably large increase in crime (Schlosser 90-102). Prisons do not solve the problem of crime (only in rare cases), rather, according to criminologist Norval Morris and David Rothman, they have simply done the following three things: "They provide a dumping ground for unwanted people, they follow the ancient image of justice like a ladder and signify to the public that something has been done." A public headline reads “Crime Continues to Fall but Prisons Continue to Fill” (Section 4 of the New York Times). Prison is a punishment that uses a large budget. Prisons' use of the welfare system is very expensive. The amount of money used for incarceration1 according to the CSC (Correctional Services of Canada) is estimated at 50 thousand dollars per year per inmate. Prison is a very ineffective way to prevent crime and keep it from increasing. The record increase in the crime rate in the Netherlands between 1950 and 1970 increased by 300% (Hulsmans, unpublished interview, 1995). Prisons continue to grow, but the crime rate never decreases. One solution that has saved money, reformed the offender2, prevented future crimes, and sent a better message to society is treatment programs. Treatment programs are mostly different curriculums, such as the drug court program or rehab…half of the paper…testing and treatment are effective. I've seen drug courts work. I know they will make a difference” (naiveprogram.tripod; National Association of Drug Court Professionals). Sending the criminal to prison will give them a very tiring and painful experience for a period of time, but as soon as the time is up they will return to their crime (leading to recidivism). Not all criminals are repugnant, only the corrupt ones. Others who believe they can change and never commit a crime again are not repugnant. The criminal may be a criminal, but ultimately they are also human beings. Works Cited-www.casapalmera.com- www.idebate.org-www.atlantarecoverycenter.com-www.crimlinks.com-www.forbes.com-www. wikipedia.org-Canadian Corrections-Canadian Criminology-Juvenile Crime-The Expanding Prison-The Canadian Criminal Justice System