Behind every crime is an individual who has crossed the line that separates societal and moral acceptability from the realm of injustice. As a society, we try to limit crime’s capacity to harmfully interfere in our lives by sending those who cross that line to prison.

In an ideal scenario, an individual who has crossed the line would go through correction, learn new behaviors and become a productive member of society. However, according to the National Institute of Justice, about two-thirds of released prisoners are arrested within three years of release — and this figure rises to about three-quarters at five years from the date of release. While putting criminals in prison may provide some comfort for the victims and some protection for society, these numbers show prison time simply doesn’t resolve the core causes of crime and doesn’t make any of us safer in the long run.

Preventing a repeat offense begins with identifying an offender’s underlying issues or motivations. Prison may be an effective measure for protecting society from a habitual sociopath, but many who commit crimes do so because of mental illness, substance abuse, ingrained socialized behavior, material want, poor judgment or desperation, among other reasons. Just as a doctor prescribes a remedy tailored to a patient’s specific needs, offenders need customized means of correction, not just different doses of prison time.