&gt; Why have we decided that the way to treat criminals is to systematically destroy their social support system for profit?<p>Because:<p>(1) There is a lobby with a lot to gain, and therefore an intense incentive to lobby for it.<p>(2) For most citizens, prisoners are at best &quot;out of sight, out of mind&quot;, and at worst a subject of negative emotional attachment, so harms to them are either discounted or even seen as deserved.<p>(3) For the citizens directly harmed, they are already disenfranchised.