The Jackal of Nahueltoro - The Government's Position

I found myself enjoying this filme, though it seemed a bit too long for it's own good, and quite bland in a number of areas. However, the class's discussion afterwards had me thinking about the message connected toThe Jackal of Nahueltoro. The death penalty has always been a widely disputed subject - was the government trying to make an example out of Jose (Jorge)? We as an audience are told of this destitute and povertized childhood, which is assumed to be directly linked with his alcoholism and his following through with the murders of the family. When taken to prison for what is almost certainly deserving of the death penalty, the government educates him. Why bother educating him? I thought it really interesting to see how much more forgiving people were once "Jorge" had found God and religion, especially the prison official around him. Maybe the public/prison did rest easier knowing they helped him see the profound error of his ways. Apart from the religion aspect, I couldn't help thinking that the government was educating him to make the public aware that he had been morally "cleansed" and make it less obvious that in reality, the government had contributed signifcantly to his harsh childhood. Was the jackal really the changed person the prison wanted him portrayed as? Or just brainwashed to the point that the jackal, as well as his public and the prison officials, felt "at peace" with the fact he was being put to death?