text: what is the most controversial and that has pros and cons that has to do with jail/corrections? other then? what is the most controversial and that has pros and cons that has to do with jail/corrections? other then death penalty, strictly jail there are several controversial issues involving the penal system.  i could not say which one is the most controversial, but here are the issues i hear of most often: 1. should non-violent offenders be sent to prison when our prisons are already overcrowded? 2. should juveniles ever be tried as adults? 3. can pedophiles ever be truly rehabilitated?