The big question remains: does incarceration as a punishment work? As we currently handle crime and punishment, are inmates rehabilitated to the point where they can safely be returned to society? We can tackle these quandaries in an abstract way in the safety of our locked homes, digging out statistics and data to answer our burning questions. But for many, the debate about whether an inmate should continue to be held in custody or let go free is an intensely personal one, with the real experiences of people on both sides of prison walls.