Letter: 'Soft' prisons do not work

Letter: Sean Bayley, who stated that prison does not work, is clearly a fan of the soft option and thinks that rehabilitation is the answer.

Rehabilitation, for people who commit white collar one-off crimes such as fraud, etc, is probably the answer for them, however, these people probably would not commit another offence again if they were given suspended sentences.

What needs to be looked at is how prisons are used for the future.

They need to be looked at as punishment centres where serious and habitual criminals are sent to be punished.

Prisons fail to work due to the majority of criminals seeing them as a short-stay facilities and a career hazard where life is rather uncomfortable for a short period of time.

What the UK needs to do is build bigger and better prisons to house the UK's undesirables, close down all open prisons, which clearly are soft options and a waste of taxpayers' money .

The recommended prison sentences and guidelines given to judges for crimes need a complete overhaul where longer and more severe prison sentences are given to criminals. It is a fact criminals do not fear prison, they fear the amount of time given to spend in prison.

It is no good sending someone to jail for a few years.

When a criminal starts getting ten years or more the criminal starts to think twice and if he does not then get it, then it is better for society that he/ she remains locked up in our jails until he does get it.

The benefits to society for what some would see as inhumane are safer streets and less crime for the majority of decent people of the UK.

The benefits to the criminal are none , as long as they are fed and housed and treated humanely within the prison by the state.

Andrew Finch

Shrewsbury