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Based on extensive studies of our criminal justice system. It essentially states that our rush to build prisons has not reduced crime. Most people in prison are small-time crooks, who “become involved in unskilled, petty crime because of no avenues to a viable, satisfying, conventional life.” (P 60) “…even the high-crime offenders aspire to a relatively modest conventional life and hope to prepare for that while serving prison sentences…[but] little in the way of equipping our prisoners for a conventional life on the outside is occurring…” (P 143) The authors believe that the cost of our prisons far outweigh what would be the cost of a serious rehabilitation and re-entry system. Also, our prison addiction takes needed funds away from services such as education, child care, mental health, and medical services that would have a greater impact on reducing crime than prisons. (P 170)