www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1326109...ike-getting-bed.html
This shows that KEN CLARKE is right. Community service is the way forward. It should be administered by the ARMY in my opinion for people like this who need to learn motivation.
Prison is an easy life. Meals cooked for you - laundry done - no bills - TV all day if you want it - fantastic libraries - great gyms - personal service of several officers - and the only downside is the lack of freedom obviously to do what you want.
Prison will only work if it is accompanied by very very long sentences ( Over 5 years ) with rehabilitation built in.
We should be moving away from prison as a solution for crime like most civilised countries. We lock up more people for longer than almost any G20 country ( apart from USA ) When you look at the level of violence and crime - you will see that Prison does not work.
Having seen it from the inside ! I can safely say that it is an expensive waste of money for the taxpayer. Only dangerous violent criminals should be in Prison.
Why for instance do we lock up people who look at indecent photos ? they are not a danger at all to anyone from their bedroom or study. They should be given therapy to deal with their "addiction" not imprisoned at great expense. I feel no threat at all from any of these people.
Then we find that REALLY VIOLENT criminals towards the public often get suspended sentences - they are not even locked up and they continue to bully and beat up ordinary and disabled people - driving some to suicide......surely these are the people to LOCK UP - people who are dangerous and threaten the rest of us in society.
At the moment sentences and justice is based on POLITICAL CORRECTNESS not danger to the public. That needs to change. In addition silly short sentences are no deterrent - this story proves that completely.
Prison should be a last resort - it is expensive and should only be used for dangerous criminals who cant be let loose on the public.
The idea of "short - sharp- shocks" is discredited and does not work when Prison is now very comfortable for the majority of those locked up. For people with money a short sentence is no great problem - but it actually stops a young person getting a career and therefore makes it more likely they will get WORSE rather than better because they have no future.
Surely we should be trying to give young people a future. Violence between young people because of their hormones and gang warfare should be looked at in its context as well.
The over-riding rule of Justice should be FAIRNESS - and that means it should be to protect the general public from individuals who mean to harm others.
Finally lets look at Historic Cases of Sex Abuse. If someone does not have anyone accusing him or her from the last 5 or 10 years then how can that person be deemed a danger ( even if guilty 20 years ago ) so once again they should get therapy and carry on with their lives. Of course if they are a current threat because the charges against them relate to the last 5 years then jail them if guilty but if the offences are 5 or 10 or even 15 or 25 years ago - what is the point of jailing them if they pose no risk to society anymore ( if they were still a threat then the Police would find current allegations against them )
Our Prisons are overfull of people who should not be there - yet our streets are full of dangerous people who need to be there. That is why the public have no faith in Justice System anymore. It is run on POLITICAL lines for the politicians to play with rather than to protect the public.
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