When the Horror of Individual cases clouds vision, where is the hope for progress or justice?

It's a catch 22. First off, over 80 percent of all those prison inmates are there because they are non-violent drug offenders. If they need to be rehabilitated, they need to be put in drug treatment. That would cost only a fraction of what it costs to run them through the courts and pay for their incarceration. Second, most offenders can't be rehabilitated. And I agree with you that the judicial system is designed for punishment. It's the violent criminals like the rapists, murderers, arsonists, and the offenders that need to be locked up and not the drug offenders.