Many informed observers consider jail a blunt instrument that doesn’t work particularly well for most prisoners, while also a necessary evil for managing crime. In their view, spending more money on keeping more people locked up is not a solution.
One common theme in the area of criminal justice is punishment or retribution, especially where the type of offence committed arouses strong feelings. This ties in with a belief in some quarters that jails should be unpleasant places, creating a second layer of punishment on top of the basic deprivation of liberty. Another view is that jail itself should be the punishment and that alienating, violent or unpleasant prison conditions generate more problems than they solve.
A prison sentence acts like a wrecking ball in the life of a person jailed. Families are fragmented, marriages are more likely to break down, social networks are severed and rental accommodation is lost. Upon release, the hard work of repairing this damage adds to the challenge inherent in successful rehabilitation. Short sentences are particularly unhelpful because they create this social damage, while not being sufficiently long to serve as a strong deterrent.
British jails are currently at their capacity, which is forcing the Conservative government to pursue less punitive alternatives, among other measures. Justice Secretary Alex
