I feel there is 2 questions here and I don't understand the 2nd so I'll try to answer at least one.
Here in Scotland the emphasis is on rehabilitation , making Scotland safe, unlocking potential and transforming lives. Well at least that's the mission statement. Having worked in prisons I can tell you it's not really the reality.
It doesn't matter how long the sentence is, people actually age out of the criminal life. That is they decide they are too old for that shit and settle down.
Long sentences are not a deterrent, in the U.S. the Death Penalty isn't even a deterrent.
We here have had some success having family time. For example, we have kids come in to do their homework with the incarcerated parent. We have family meals, we have Father and Son days. For a lot of prisoners this is the most time they have spent with their kids and actually like it. This goes a long way in making them think about their life and how much more rewarding it is to be with their kids.
Locking people up for years upon years may satisfy the lust for revenge in society but these people will get out and will be your neighbours so treating them like animals will not make them good citizens. There has to be programs for rehabilitation, there has to be intervention for addicts and there has to be hope.
