The level of cruel and unusual punishment present in Azkaban is beyond what any person could ever deserve to be subjected to. And the fact that the heroes do not abolish Azkaban by the end of the books is a sign of Rowling’s neoliberal, anti-change worldview. Harry and the gang save the one single innocent person from Azkaban, but everyone else still suffers, having every happy memory drained away. Rowling believes in punishment, not rehabilitation.