Actually, I too am concerned about 1) the conditions in which prisoners are kept, 2) the corrupting effect of commercially managed prisons, 3) high mandatory minimum sentences for crimes that shouldn't (always) be punished so severely, 4) the shortage of effective rehabilitation programs that leave excons with few gainful prospects after release, and of course 5) everpresent concerns about the wrongfully convicted.

Despite all that, of course, there really are people who are guilty of terrible acts and need to be confined. I find it hard to sympathize (in the context of a story) with people who people who are demonstrably destructive, murderous, and remorseless.