CMV: The US prison system is designed to punish the poor and shun the mentally ill.

I have a hard time believing that our current prison system was designed to rehabilitate or even punish those that commit crimes. It seems like it was designed to punish the homeless, those struggling with addiction, and those with mental illnesses. I think it is noticeable that the US has 5% of the world's population, but 22% of the prison population. It seems like the US admits that they have a problem, but is more interested in addressing the symptoms rather than the problem. This is similar to funding the military over our schools. I also feel that if we were really designed to punish those with illnesses and bad timing, we wouldn't need to put non-violent offenders in maximum security prisons that aren't even built for them. Why are we letting private corporations run the prison system? They are profiting off our poor, mentally ill, and homeless. They don't want to fix the problems that cause crime, they want to keep a steady flow of prisoners. We also have to remember how crime rates have been steadily decreasing, but prison rates have gone up. I honestly feel like a good portion of the population would agree with this, but I want to hear your thoughts. I have a habit of getting lost in left leaning echo chambers and I need to hear your opinions.<br><br>Edit: so much feedback in the past hour, thanks guys. I will try to get back to all of you. I was trying to keep up with it, but I have a job and a family, so it is proving to be difficult. I appreciate your patience.