Majority think prison isn’t working
The Telegraph reports on a ‘major survey’ which reveals that the majority of people believe that prison isn’t working (Report, 3 April). They are right. Too often our prisons take low-level offenders and turn them into hardened criminals. If we are to cut crime, we need to take action which works. Effective alternatives to short prison sentences are no easy option as they can include tagging, facing their victim and intensive work programmes and a great deal more. This approach is evidenced as tackling re-offending. The danger is that the Government’s commitment to reducing prison numbers while cutting the funding from these successful community programmes will create the worst of both worlds.