The basic liberal assumptions that humans are perfectible have shaped both public opinion and criminal justice policy, which focused on placing criminals in institutions where they can be rehabilitated. As a result, the rate of imprisonment in the United States is far greater than that of other industrial democracies. However, prisons not only fail to cure crime, they also appear to be a major cause of crime. The conservative view offers a different perspective. It places responsibility for criminal behavior on the criminal and focuses on punishment that forces the criminal to accept this responsibility. Thus, it focuses on restitution as a means of helping victims and giving criminals the means to restore themselves and undergo real changes of character. Therefore, conservatives who support increased use of imprisonment are supporting a major liberal myth, resulting in major costs to taxpayers. Photographs.