Correctional Facility or Just Jail?

In class we watched an episode of 30 Days in which Morgan went to Prison. Throughout his time there he was treated as an inmate and lived amongst other prisoners. During his month in prison he talked with a lot of people and there seemed to be a recurring pattern; most of the people he was talking with were repeat offenders. Even more of them seemed to be getting used to life in jail. It was as if the inmates knew that being there was not normal, but they were resigned to the idea that it was all they could reach in life. Rather than taking people who have made mistakes and helping them through their problems and rejoin society US prisons are teaching criminals to get used to bars, because odds are you will be back. The number of inmates in the US alone is appalling and our society is doing nothing to help the inmates who are in need of help. Granted, some people are in jail for good reason, but many, if not most, are there as a result of a bad decision, a drug problem, or even mental problems. These are not people who need to be shut away from society, they need society's help to get back onto the right path.