If long prison sentences were the primary factor in reduction in recidivism
I never said that. Rehabilitative prisons are the main component in reducing recidivism, but short sentences that don’t punish criminals for their crimes reduce confidence in victims that justice has been served. Rehabilitating the criminal isn’t the only thing that matters; making them suffer for the harm they’ve done is also important. As much as people would like to believe we can excise that from our judicial systems, it can’t be done. You will simply get vigilantes.