One aspect of the Prison Service's mission is to serve "the public by keeping in custody those committed by the courts." Under current circumstances of prison overcrowding and deteriorating prison conditions and programs, it is doubtful that either the public or offenders are served by continuing to send a large proportion of offenders to prison. The public and offenders would be better served through community programs for minor offenders that provide more humane and constructive environments for behavioral change and supervision. The Prison Service's mission is also to manage inmates "with humanity and to help them lead law-abiding and useful lives in custody and after release." For those offenders whose crimes and threat to public safety require imprisonment, the prisons must be so reformed as to provide an environment and programs that affirm inmates' personal worth and prepare them to earn a legitimate income and engage in positive social interactions. This requires that prisons foster inmates' contact with their families and provide educational and vocational programs that are effective in achieving rehabilitative goals.