> There is the fact that criminals are less able to commit further crimes while in prison.
This presupposes we catch the criminals. This doesn't really match up with reality—it's actually quite difficult to get any conviction from some murder cases, for instance. In a limited sense, what happens to the individual doesn't matter nearly as much as laws affect crime rates.
I was pointing out that prison, as a sentence, serves a use beyond mere retribution. The fact that some criminals are never caught is not relevant to that claim.
This presupposes we catch the criminals. This doesn't really match up with reality—it's actually quite difficult to get any conviction from some murder cases, for instance. In a limited sense, what happens to the individual doesn't matter nearly as much as laws affect crime rates.