Prison systems around the world have similar goals: to ensure public safety, enforce a society's expectations and laws, punish criminals, and rehabilitate the condemned. While the goals may be similar, the philosophy of individual systems and the means by which they achieve their goals differ. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics CITE, the United States has one of the highest incarceration rates in the world, with approximately 1.6 million people incarcerated in 2010. Additionally, the United States has one of the highest recidivism rates, which would lead to the conclusion that the structure currently in place does not facilitate rehabilitation. The purpose of this article is to examine an alternative view of the situation. These prisons have little security and few staff. Medium security prisons serve a larger population of inmates with different types of sentences. Security here includes perimeter fences and armed vehicles. High/strict security prisons are intended for those offenders who have a history of violence or who pose a threat to others. Security here is greater with several perimeter fences and towers manned by armed guards. These prisons house prisoners in cells. Maximum security prisons are reserved for the most serious offenders who display the most disturbing and destructive behavior. This is often called a closed facility, where inmates are closely monitored and activities are limited. Inmates in this type of prison spend most of their time locked in a cell, with an hour allowed for fun and showering. Finally, there is the Supermax prison, known as a control unit prison, which represents the most secure level of custody in the US prison system. The goal of this type of prison is to inflict absolute physical and psychological control on prisoners (Viano, 2006, p. 146 – Associations for prison communications in Europe, 20 January 2003. Web. 04 October 2014.Dunec, Joanne L. “Incarceration and Recidivism: Lessons from Abroad.” Pell Center for International Relations University, March 2014. Web. 1 October 2014. “France.” Essex Web. 01 October 2014. Kazemian, Lila and Catrin Andersson (2012). ) Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York. "The determinants of recidivism among former prisoners: a survival analysis on French data". 01 October 2014. "Recidivism." United States Department of Justice, 17 June 2014. Web. 01 October 2014. Viano, Emilio. "The Execution Des Sanctions Privatives De Liberte Et Les Imperatifs De La Securite". = The implementation of prison sentences and security aspects; Actes Du Colloque De La FIPP, Budapest, Hungary 16-19 February 2006; Proceedings of the IPPF Colloquium, Budapest, Hungary 16-19 February 2006. 139-84.