The goal of incarceration is punishment (which acts both as retribution and deterrent), reform is an added benefit too rarely achieved, as is the benefit of keeping dangerous people away from future victims (in most countries those dangerous people are released sooner or later). Prison isn't a hospital for crime.

Doesn't being convicted of a felony limits a person's right as well beyond their sentence?

But the system in many countries doesn't work, otherwise there wouldn't be high rates of reoffending. This isn't about revenge - if that were the case I'd be advocating forced sterilisation, which I'm not. Other concerns are implementation questions, regarding ethics, safeguards, informed consent, etc.

The alternative would be to treat prisoners as victims of their upbringing, but that raises questions about the degree to which it's possible to reverse someone's early emotional trauma. For some crimes (e.g. drug addiction) that may be a better approach, as seen in more progressive countries like Portugal.

There have been projects in Western Africa that have shown that cognitive behavioral therapy can markedly increase social integration and reduce violence of even former child soldiers, probably the most traumatized demographic you can think of. Even pedophiles can - with sufficient support and therapy - manage their urges, as can alcoholics, etc. The hard truth is that the U.S. prison system is making no effort whatsoever at reintegration/therapy and instead is designed to enhance traumatization.

I actually think that sterilization is an incredibly important tool in terms of family planning and should be offered for free to all interested and consenting adults. But prison is probably the worst place to offer it, because (especially in the U.S) it is a place of coercion that precludes meaningful consent for a non-reversible non-life-saving medical intervention. Like other attempts to use sterilization to solve social problems throughout history, it would just contribute to trauma under these circumstances, not alleviate it.

> The goal of incarceration is to reform, not take revenge.

s/is/should be/