We can acknowledge that a giant part of a guilty verdict should entail a sacrifice of certain civil rights. No voting, no cable TV, no free college, etc. Inmates should be put to work, without pay, on repairing infrastructure projects. This would allow them to learn a trade at least, and the exercise should help improve their health- especially in terms of physically working through whatever addiction problems. Any labors should not be performed for company profit, but for the betterment of their communities. Seeing prisons as for-profit industries is a huge part of the problem. Inmates should earn their keep, literally. All of this combined would save tax-payers loads of cash.
1. Stop privatizing it.
A profitable industry has incentive to grow.