Wouldn't this cost a heck of a lot more money than what they're already spending now?

If by this you mean, "Have you killed a man?" then no, I have not. But I beat one within an inch of his life and I WAS arrested for it. I guess the experience is only a matter of degree.

Double Post:
We're talking about cost-cutting logistics here so we wouldn't be sending one at a time or anything. We'd be packin' the niggas in like sardines in a can and shooting them up to the cosmos by the hundreds.

...OUTSIDE THE BOX.

I'll acknowledge that in this particular case, but in the case of sane inmates, it should generally be assumed that the unpleasant nature of a custodial sentence would help to deter them from re-offending.

If someone really isn't capable of comprehending the difference between legal and illegal acts, or if they don't understand the societal definition of right and wrong, then it's also going to be hard to deter them from crime. I'd agree with you on that point, but it can still be assumed that he won't want to return to jail. The question of whether his mental faculties are acute enough to allow him to avoid jail is another matter entirely.