When you imagine a prison, you often conceptualize a macabre scene of hardened rapists and murderers wandering aimlessly along the dark corridors of Alcatraz, instead of a pleasant structure that satisfies the needs of people in troubled souls. Prisons have long been a source of punishment for prisoners in America, and debate continues over whether or not the American prison system should be overhauled. Such a review would reorient prison focuses on the rehabilitation and incarceration of inmates instead of the current focuses on punishment and incarceration. However, altering the focus of the entire state and federal prison system for the purpose of rehabilitation is an unrealistic goal. Rehabilitation should not be the primary purpose of prison because there are external factors that negatively influence the success of rehabilitation programs and such programs would be too expensive for prisons currently struggling to meet the needs of additional inmates. In his novel, Texas Tough: The Rise of America's Prison Empire, author and professor Robert Perkinson outlines the three current dominant purposes of prison. The first, punishment, is the act of disciplining offenders in an attempt to prevent them from committing a particular crime again. Harsh punishments encourage prisoners to behave because many will not want to face the consequences of further incarceration. Although the purpose of punishment is often denounced, many agree that prison should continue to be used as a means to protect law-abiding citizens from violent offenders. Inmate isolation, the second purpose of prison, exists to protect the public. Rehabilitation is currently the third purpose of prison. Rehabilitation is considered successful when an inmate does not result in further sexual offending (554). It is too dangerous to risk potential victims so that the offender can complete his rehabilitation program by assaulting a person a few more times. In the event that a prisoner (particularly a sex offender) completes rehabilitation, he brings with him a stigma upon reentry. society. People often fear living near a former drug addict or convicted murderer, and the sensational media hype surrounding released criminals can ruin a newly released inmate's life before it happens. Between resident notifications, media scare tactics, and general concern for safety, the sex offender's ability to readjust into society is severely hampered (554). This ensures that life skills rehabilitation applied to him will be useless, as he will not be able to even attempt to make the right decision regarding further crime opportunities..