To simplify the conversation, I only consider the case where a prisoner is in for 2-10 years; that is, they are in long enough that certain amenities e.g. medical care must be provided, but they will return to the outside quickly enough that they still will be in the labor force.
When we say, a well-run prison system, we mean:
- When not under direct supervision e.g. on a work crew, the prisoners are isolated from one another, so they aren’t forming into gangs, raping each other, etc. and in general they are not being maimed by their time in prison.
- They are adequately fed (and have at least decent medical care).
- They have reasonable accommodations e.g. not too hot or cold, mostly free of pests, mold, etc.
- The prisoners have a smooth transition to civilian life; that is, to avoid them immediately turning back to crime, we are not going to turn them loose without any training or other direction to the job they will hold on release.
If we consider the foregoing guarantees, then in its incompletely defined state, it is not at all clear that prison isn’t better than the outside world, where, unless you have a living wage, you might live in a more dangerous area, have less food and medical care, live in a dump, and might not have any good career path if e.g. you are working 60 hours a week. The temptation to go to prison is obvious, especially in the winter.
The first point is to ensure that the civilian life is no worse, by having a large, well-trained, and generally upright police force, having living wage jobs and/or robust safety net, and renovating or demolishing the run-down housing. Even so, due to restrictions in working conditions e.g. you cannot leave prisoners out of their cells unsupervised, productivity considerations like 8-hour days being optimal in many situations, it may be that the prisoners are getting more leisure time or better working conditions than some civilians.
I don’t think there is one answer to the problem; however, there are a number of measures that should be implemented that, collectively, can make prison clearly worse than civilian life:
- 12+ hour days, whereas the civilian ones would be more like 8 hours.
- Prison jobs involve a great deal of hazard e.g. antipersonnel mine removal, or the working conditions are harder than those on the outside.
- The jobs available to civilians have to be better.
- The job training available to civilians qualifies them for better jobs.
- Civilians would be eligible for paid study or apprenticeships, vs. the prisoners who would not be paid additionally while they train.
- No frequent conjugal or relative visits, only proof of life visits