I'm not sure I understand why it doesn't make sense.
Punishment/prison can serve a few purposes:
1. To serve as a deterrent to others.
2. To remove an individual from society, so they can't cause harm.
3. To reform an individual.
Given this:
The system might think that 20 years in prison is a sufficient deterrent.
That by removing the individual from society during this time period, they have sufficiently safeguarded society.
That it is enough time to reform an individual to the degree that they don't pose significant risk.
Given the above, I don't see why /every/ crime might result in individuals released into society being given the full rights of normal citizens. For example, you might want to continuously monitor their progress, or not allow them to enter certain occupations (such as child care) in order to continue to safeguard society...
Certain crimes, will no doubt limit your future activities permanently. But that alone doesn't seem like a reason to keep people in prison for ever. The hope is that they might be able to find some niche in which they can make a viable life for themselves in society perhaps.
Punishment/prison can serve a few purposes:
1. To serve as a deterrent to others.
2. To remove an individual from society, so they can't cause harm.
3. To reform an individual.
Given this:
The system might think that 20 years in prison is a sufficient deterrent.
That by removing the individual from society during this time period, they have sufficiently safeguarded society.
That it is enough time to reform an individual to the degree that they don't pose significant risk.
Given the above, I don't see why /every/ crime might result in individuals released into society being given the full rights of normal citizens. For example, you might want to continuously monitor their progress, or not allow them to enter certain occupations (such as child care) in order to continue to safeguard society...
Certain crimes, will no doubt limit your future activities permanently. But that alone doesn't seem like a reason to keep people in prison for ever. The hope is that they might be able to find some niche in which they can make a viable life for themselves in society perhaps.