IndexAbstractIntroductionConclusionAbstractAlthough all types of crime are unforgivable, especially for victims and their families, not all cases are treated equally and the severity of punishment depends on the circumstances of the crime committed. Sometimes it also depends on the offender's condition, including his mental health or psychological condition. This means that not all people who commit crimes are perfectly sane, and not all crimes are planned or manipulated. They are sometimes caused by impulsiveness and are committed by people with mental disorders. So, as an alternative to punishment, these people undergo rehabilitation in the hope of healing and changing themselves. While others express their sympathy for perpetrators of mental illness, some also question the effectiveness of rehabilitation and seek justice through punishment. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In this article, both rehabilitation and punishment will be addressed deeply and comprehensively. The rehabilitation process will be clearly discussed, as well as the conditions under which a criminal can undergo this process instead of spending time in prison. Both the advantages and disadvantages of rehabilitation and punishment will be considered. More importantly, the researcher will state his preference and opinion on this topic and explain why one is better or more justifiable than the other. Introduction There has been a long debate about which is the better option between rehabilitation and punishment. Basically, people who often undergo rehabilitation are drug addicts, sex offenders, and people with mental illnesses. Some believe that rehabilitation is the key to treating these people and preventing them from committing the same crimes once they leave prison. On the other hand, there are people who doubt the effectiveness of rehabilitation and prefer to punish these offenders regardless of their condition. For them, punishment is the only way to teach criminals a lesson and even after rehabilitation there is still a high probability that these people will repeat their crimes. Society's resentment against criminals grows with the increase in the number of crimes in different parts of the world. However, different nations have different perspectives on crime and justice and have different ways of dealing with prisons. In the United States, however, prisoners are punished rather than rehabilitated. The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world as most Americans believe that criminals will always be criminals. The concepts involved in the punishment of crime are enormous and punishment serves different purposes. First, the punishment of crime is applied as punishment that satisfies the instinct of revenge. Retributive justice is enforced by the impression that the offender deserves punishment. Another purpose of crime punishment is deterrence which prevents the criminal from repeating his crime and also making him a good example for people with the tendency to commit crimes. Similarly, prevention aims to prevent the criminal from committing the same crime, but this time it must prevent him from doing it. Ultimately, the reformative goal is to improve or change the criminal by providing him with training and education that he can use after his release. These efforts are intended to help criminals become better people and prepare them to face the outside world without breaking the law. Rehabilitation is part of reformative justice in which prisons are given thepossibility to change and improve one's life once released from prison. They are also taught and trained to perform some tasks that they can do outside. Since they will be ex-prisoners at that time, they are unlikely to find jobs in various companies and industries, so they are taught to do prison jobs and other useful things so that they can still earn money once released. Substance abuse rehabilitation. There are many types of treatment in criminal justice, and rehabilitation can be applied based on different circumstances. The most common type of criminal rehabilitation is substance abuse rehabilitation. Offenders who can undergo this type of rehabilitation are those who have committed drug-related crimes or committed as a result of drug addiction. In this type of rehabilitation, prisons will undergo different therapies such as private counseling with a psychologist and group therapy with other people suffering from substance addiction. Treatment may begin in prison and continue in a transitional facility also called a work release center. This place is a therapeutic community where inmates are encouraged to change their negative behaviors and thought patterns and also help others achieve this. Another type of rehabilitative treatment for prisoners is mental health treatment. Significantly, not all mentally ill offenders suffer from drug addiction; some of them suffer from serious mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder and affective disorder. Criminals with serious mental problems can be dangerous, so they cannot be mixed with regular prisoners. Furthermore, they need to be treated so that they have a chance to improve their behavior and stop thinking about committing crimes again. Psychiatric units are needed for inmates with mental illnesses so that their mental conditions and emotional problems can be evaluated by mental health professionals. Although this type of rehabilitation is not applied in many prisons; is still an option for sex offenders. Sex offender treatment is a serious process and is carried out to stop a person's abusive sexual behavior. During treatment, sex offenders learn that they are responsible for the crime they committed and that they should take responsibility for it. Therapists analyze inmates' sexual behaviors and also provide counseling to help them improve their behavior and thinking patterns. Adults are not the only ones capable of committing crimes. Unfortunately, children today can be criminals and there are some children who are predisposed to this for various reasons. Because they are too young to understand the gravity of their crime and perhaps the consequences; minors who commit crimes cannot go to adult prison. Nonetheless, they are still entitled to receive rehabilitation. Juvenile inmates go through a program where they receive psychotherapy and education. They are managed with strict discipline to learn it and help them apply it in the future. Regular prisons, on the one hand, receive educational counseling where they receive the basic education they need to get a job. Since not all prisons are well educated, some of them are required to obtain at least a vocational education or a GED certificate. Inmates also receive spiritual counseling from priests or pastors; helping them to repent of their sins, especially the crimes they have committed. Both educational and spiritual counseling help inmates become better members of society infuture. In addition to educational counseling, the government also provides inmates with life skills training, particularly basic tasks they can use to acquire a job, including writing resumes, making budgets, and paying bills. . Prisoners are often classified according to their individual needs and given the education and training necessary to meet their individual needs and achieve self-improvement. The rising crime rate in the United States makes the country even more punitive. Being a democratic country, people are free to do whatever they want and some of them think they can get away with their crimes easily. For this reason, the American government has been very strict when it comes to punishing violators. In the 1990s, legislatures across the country allowed the prosecution of youth and prison sentences. Even today, many states apply this law to juvenile offenders who are 13 or 14 years old. Whether the crimes are violent or not, they still follow this rule to punish juvenile delinquents and also to prevent other children from committing crimes at an early age (Neke, 2011). On the other hand, adult criminals are treated more harshly, especially those who have committed serious crimes such as rape and murder. Many people in the United States seem to agree with the application of retributive justice considering the number of crimes committed each year. Regardless of the age, health and medical condition of the offenders, some people find it difficult to sympathize with these people. For them, crimes are crimes and criminals are criminals. So, the only way to get justice is to punish these criminals. It is easy to believe that criminals are not worthy of the costs and efforts of rehabilitation because they have broken the law and hurt or deceived weak, innocent people. In essence, the main benefit of criminal punishment is to ensure the safety of people since these criminals will no longer be intent on committing other crimes. It is also beneficial for the families of the victims as the incarceration of the offenders will give them peace, thinking that they have achieved justice for the victims. Serious offenders may be sent to correctional institutions as a punitive response, but it can be more expensive than sending them to community-based rehabilitation facilities. Significantly, rehabilitation is less expensive than punishment for juvenile crimes. Public opinion on rehabilitation and punishment may vary, but that opinion could change if people are informed about the costs and effectiveness of both policies. In line with this, Piquero and Steinberg (2007) conducted a study on the public's willingness to pay for specific policies. They asked people if they were willing to pay additional taxes for prison rehabilitation and found that many people favored rehabilitation over punishment, despite the increased taxes. They were willing to pay more for prison rehabilitation without further incarceration. While some people want further incarceration for those guilty of serious crimes and believe that rehabilitation will only lead to more and even worse crimes in the future, many ex-offenders have also proven that rehabilitation is beneficial because it has helped them turn their lives around after release. One of the rehabilitation programs that was successful was the life skills program conducted in 2013 at the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women. One of the former inmates, Heaven Griffin, said the program changed her outlook on life. He learned many skills from his class, such as applying for jobs and even computer skills. Other inmates of the.