an interesting piece in the Times - illustrating the reality; we all adapt very easily and very quickly; prison is not the soft option portrayed by the stupid tabloids but it is still not hard to fit into a new life however restrictive.

www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_...s/article5835071.ece

I think the argument about prison being a deterrent is spurious. 99% of crimes take place without thought or planning.

George Monbiot in the Guardian today is also well worth reading.

Like the guy doing several life sentences in the US prison visited by Louis Theroix. "It's possible to build a life here." His prison was hardly a luxury. Nor is Risley, but once you're there you have no option but to try make the best of it.

Prison is not luxury. It is degrading and demoralising. Most inmates come out worse than they went in. Prison should be only for those who pose a serious risk to society.

Prison is overcrowded due to people being sent there for stupid reasons, such as feeding birds, not paying Council Tax, carrying out peaceful protest, posessing images, etc. Someone argued the point that these people only serve short sentences, but they still take up a prison place and are replaced by others who also pose no risk. The government refuse to listen to the people with experience of prison life, the inmates, and so have no genuine concept of the experience. Their thinking is limited to "Build more prisons", so the problems continue.

And now you can get ten years if you take a photograph of a police officer. Soon there won't be many people who haven't been in prison, and the media myth will be totally blown apart.

And check out what is quietly going on - two American judges jailed 2000 children simply to make shitloads of cash.

Do we really think that can only happen in America?

www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/ma...pulation-titan-jails