Shouldn't Prison Be Punishment?

MercuryNews.com | 01/25/2006 | Man convicted of killing wife; looks forward to prison. This is disgusting. A man convicted of killing his wife - he stabbed her 100 times with a pair of shears - is not upset about the prospect of prison.

[H]e didn't sound too upset about spending the rest of his life in San Quentin.

"I'm going to finish up college courses," he told his lawyer shortly before the verdict was read. "I'm excited about that."

Isn't prison supposed to be punishment?

And while I understand the logic behind education in prison in the hope of rehabilitating some inmates, why pay for education for someone who will never get out?