The proper solution would be to execute those who commit rape (especially against children, priest or no priest). That should free up a lot of room, save money for those of us who pay taxes. Jack Buckley, USA

Do what some of the Arab countries do to make the point that a crime is serious and that the ensuing penalities rae even more serious. Boris Stern, Tampa, Florida

The criminal who stole my outboard motor and hundreds more like it some years ago got an 18-month sentence of which he served only six. It worked out he "earned" an income of £20,000 pa at a time when the average income was nearer £2,000. Is it any surprise that crime is on the increase? Prison sentences should be long and harsh and as life outside has become extremely meagre for some of us this should be reflected in the life inside. Why should I, reduced to using the same computer I had ten years ago, now worth about £100, pay for a £1,000 laptop for someone who has never in his life contributed anything to society. Have easy prisons with short sentences for non-violent offenders, like council tax defaulters and TV licence evaders, but make the sentences for serious crime long and very hard. David Cage, Highworth

We have to reverse the march. We need to stop trying to alter things without the real medicine of a strong, well motivated relationship with God. Nothing else challenges us so strongly and motivates us so well. It's obvious that this also often fails because the spirit of evil always infiltrates. Yet the saints witness that radical change is a real possiblility. It really is better with God. Father Bryan Storey, Tintagel

The solution to this problem all depends on how you view prison generally. If you see it as a deterrent, then the solution must be to make it tougher for prisoners (six to a cell, etc). If you think it is a way of rehabilitating people that have strayed into crime due to bad upbringing then the solution would be to make it nicer for them (maybe if you feel this way then you wouldn't personally mind paying higher taxes to buy some more computer games for them – who do you think pays for all this stuff?) Finally, if (like me) you see it as a way of locking dangerous people up and keeping them from civilized society, then it all comes down to either building more jails or executing some of them. I have no problem with the latter. As far as I'm concerned, if we could eliminate some of the cold-blooded killers, drug dealers and rapists then there would be more room in the jails for people who have committed minor offences but might still have a chance of rehabilitating themselves. I genuinely want to see these people make it. It's not uncivilized to kill someone - it's uncivilised to kill them for no good reason. Why put someone away for life, is it just so that you can prove a point to them and say "there, that taught you didn’t it?" Do you think they would even understand? To me, lengthy sentences that result in criminals becoming institutionalised - that is uncivilized. I have nothing to prove to them, I just want my friends and family to be safe and pay lower taxes. Selfish? Perhaps, but then I’m not the one that committed the crimes. Why should I pay? Sam Nicholson, Basingstoke

Make use of unused empty military barracks to form "weekend prisons" for minor offences, thus freeing up space in the main prisons. Minor offenders would keep their jobs, continue to pay the rent/mortgage and their families would not become a burden on the state. The saving in benefits would go some way to paying for the running of the new detention centres which could also become weekday further education and/or retraining centres. Peter Cardwell, Saintes, France

The role of a prison is to improve the safety of the overall population - this is achieved by removing the dangerous elements of society, rehabilitating them where possible and providing punishment for their crime by removing their freedom. The system at present clearly needs overhaul as the rehabilitation aspect is failing and, as a direct result, prisoners are released back into society without the skills or motivation to change their habits. Removal of personal freedom is punishment enough, we do not need to remove a person's dignity by forcing them to live in undisciplined, overcrowded squalor as well. Prisons should give individuals a basic level of living space and then reward work, self education and good behaviour with wages and/or options to improve their daily living conditions ie books, TV, better food, etc. Those who choose not to participate do not receive any extras and lose their eligibility for parole. This would help prisons to become self funding, make prison officer's jobs less dangerous, demonstrate that work equals reward and would give prisoners the skills and finances to re-enter society and make a positive contribution. Doug Bates, St Albans

It all boils down to the basics. Bring back proper parenting education, strict discipline in the home and at school, and the child will have a better chance of knowing what is right and what is wrong in life. At present, children lack respect for others, good manners, proper schooling, and, for the most part, stable homes where love and continuity should be the anchors. One can hardly blame the children for going astray. Blame the parents and the government instead. Imogen Lathbury, Vienna, Austria

I suspect the 80/20 rule applies here as elsewhere - with 80 per cent of crimes being committed by 20 per cent of the population. That 20% will share many characteristics, such as broken families, poor education etc. We cannot keep spending more on dealing with symptoms. We have to think longer term and reduce the causes. We need to find ways to divert investment in prisons towards dealing with the root problems - such as more investment in early schooling to make sure that no child enters their teens unable to read and write, or deterring young people from having children they cannot properly nurture or support. What alternative is there? Only, perhaps, to return to the bad old days. Young, energetic, offenders could be shipped overseas on contracts of servitude to countries that need more able bodies - perhaps African states whose active adult populations are being decimated by Aids. Aggressive young men and women could be pressed into the armed services where their aggression could be tempered by discipline and training. Anyone convicted of repeated serious crimes would face summary execution on the basis that they are an unacceptable drain on society. Such policies would cut prison populations and costs and might even seem attractive to some but are hardly acceptable in this day and age. There must be a better way. Prevention is better than cure. Kevin Miller, Penshurst

I'm not sure many people who have actually not been in prison themselves realise waht a punishment being deprived of your liberty actually is in itself. Also from experience, Community penalties can work at rehabilitating - surely the failure of a few high profile cases shouldn't taint the rest. Rachel, London

Build lots more prisons and make the sentences progressively longer. If it does not deter the criminal it means he/she will be off the streets for longer. Obviously some of the sentencing needs to be looked at and refined - start low and ramp it up for subsequent offences. When I was a boy youths were put away for minor offences and the short sharp practice cured two-thirds of my age group that I knew about. My cousin got six months for stealing ten car radios as a first offence - that put him on the correct road instantly. Walter Steven, Scotland

This is a bit of a no-brainer. The answer to prison overcrowding is to build more prisons. To lessen the economic impact of a policy of prison building by reducing cell size and amenities the UK needs to divest itself of any involvement in UN and EU “human rights” legislation. I don't remember, as a law-abiding member of society in the 1970s, and in the absence of “human rights” legislation, being hauled out of my bed at all hours for a good beating by the representatives of the latest junta in power. The UK never needed to be part of any of these ridiculous treaties. If this government and the usual bleeding-heart liberal idiots don't want to build more prisons then they should realise that this country is heading towards chaos where those who are prepared to indulge in violence will always trump the law-abiding. Derek Sinclair, Dundee