The point is that they are different possible futures for a given individual. The matter of which of these two possibilities comes to fruition depends on policy and on that individual's conduct. To the degree that it's determined by policy, it makes sense to restrict incarceration such that it is used at most in the limited situations in which there is societal benefit.

Drug prohibition, for example, does not achieve this, but as a policy is responsible for a huge portion of the costs of incarceration.