Punishment I can deal with. Chain gangs, labor, etc. You're going to do some time, give taxpayers some return on their $40K per year investment. Clean some highways, etc, I can live with that.
But Max 300 is right on: as punishment, not for punishment.
Sherriff whatever his name is is dehumanizing people. Dehumanization through taking away
all comforts will result in the release of savages. If you haven't been treated like a person on some basic levels, you're not going to act like one when released.
Feeding them bologna sandwiches, putting them in conditions where it is 110+ degrees so they will strip down etc, is pure dehumanization. It's borderline torture, and if you've seen Viet Nam vets on the sidewalk next to the highway with a sign and a cup, that's the best outcome.
The worst is the release of an already violent person into society after a few years of being treated like an animal. Have fun with that.
Other countries have far harsher sentences: death for drug importation, etc. yet they still have crime. Punishment doesn;t deter crime.
The comparions to iraq are offensive in their intellectual dishonesty.