PETITION!!!

[Slaninar]

If you think an offender's conscience is sufficient to reform him and, in cases where it is not, prison only makes him worse, then we might as well empty the jails and disband much of the judicial system. I agree that the UK prison system is embarrassingly ineffective at discouraging re-offending when compared to the Scandinavian version,

Exactly! At least from my country's perspective, if UK is different on that matter, I do apologize. In my country: one year in prison is too much for a decent man, while even 10 years in prison for a crook will do nothing - he'll come out more connected and ready to do bad things. Here prisons make people worse, bring out the worst in them, most of the time.



I'd go with lean punishments, re-socialization.  If the offence reoccurres, then I'd either check what's wrong with the system, or kill the individual reoccurring offender. Prisons create problems and make people worse. Harsh laws don't make societies better - just look at the USA.