Matt from Houston's comments are obviously meant to be "tongue in cheek", but the irony is this will no doubt be proposed by the idiots in charge of the justice system.
If supermarkets sell all food in bite size pieces, knives can be erradicated from our streets (and kitchens)!

peterj, malvern, uk

Do we really think the police now represent our interests? Do we really believe the democratic machine directs the police to what the public requires?
The police have it good. Whatever they do they will have a job tomorrow, they have the best pension scheme in the UK paid for by the taxpayer.

John, N Yorks,

Ms. Cavendish makes excellent points.

Clearly letting children walk free after conviction for a major crime or after a second conviction for a minor does not rehabilitate them.

There is a big range of options between British leniency and the US practice of locking people away for ever.

Keith S, Winnipeg, Canada

Where are the "holiday camps"? What are YOI's and prisons really like? In what way is anti-social behaviour not punished?

An informed debate instead of ill-informed rants would help advance the debate about crime and punishment.

Michael, Newcastle, England

Matt from Houston, please tell me that was intended with some irony, as i doubt i'll enjoy eating seak with my fingers, or eating my onions mashed.

simon mawdsley, london, uk

The only way to stop knife crime is to ban all knives!!! This includes pocket knives, kitchen knives, butter knives, razor blades....People are not the problem, its the knives!!!

Matt, Houston, USA

"Punishment alone will not eradicate crime" but it's a damn good start.
The USA versus Sweden argument is just so much nonsense but attracts a body of adherents who seize on one statistic.

David, Bromley,

Having been a victim of crime and antisocial behaviour myself along with my partner I would suggest we use the ever growing prison population to build more prisons and should the prison population shrink again we should use the current crop to demolish the surplus, and so on.

Easy isn't it?

Paul W, Swindon, UK

It has been said over and over again that the ONLY deterrent for crime is the certainty of being caught. Subsequent penalty is a minor matter.

The crime problems in Britain are unequivically the fault of the retreat of the Police Force from the streets.

Remember Pavlov's Dogs !

BP Vallance, Corfu, Greece

"When criminals don't fear the law, we are all in trouble."

It goes deeper than that. Socially criminals were once stigmatised and that stigma served as a deterrent. Now, in certain circles at least, criminal behaviour is idolised. Where ASBO’s are seen as a badge of honour “criminal” conduct is meaningless.

Rob H, MCR,

Andy, Nottingham:

New York murder rate: 6.02 per 100,000 people
London murder rate: 2.57 per 100,000 people

There's a difference for sure, but London is fast catching up on NYC.

KB, London, UK

The word ,rehabilitation,implies that there was,at some tme in the past,an individual who was good and has now merely gone astray.It should be a simple matter to put this person back on the right track.To this I say,"bull cuckey".Most of these cretins were useless at the start,.

ron, toronto,

I could not care less if criminals are rehabilitated,what i and the majority of people want is that they are punished,not in a "Butlins Holiday Camp" but in a harsh prison enviroment.If they persist in criminality then they and only they have themselves to blame and suffer for their actions.

Kenneth O'Boyle, Perth, UK

Punishment does not stop crime, the certainty of being caught stops crime and just like cancer fails to stop smoking because it will not happen to me, so crime will not stop until there is a certainty of being caught.

David Green, Newark, England

London had less than 100 murders last year, New York 500, out of populations of 7 and 8 million respectively. Murders are 25 times more common (compared to population size) in America than Britain. Please learn to count and stop being silly.

Andy, Nottingham, UK

it is high time parents should be allowed to displine their children like the old times.until that balance is restored our childen will not develop manners and self control.until displine is observed as an important tool in the growth children all our talk will be in vein

kuda, derby,

The social safeguards that were in place to stop criminal behaviour have been stripped - the law abiding have no power in society anymore.

The police are directed by politicians and not by the rule of law.

Only zero tolerence & dumping the Human Rights Act will restore safety & democracy.

E Telfer, Queensland, Australia

America has harsher punishment than UK and more crime, Sweden has more leniency and less crime. Prison trains people as criminals. Labelling makes people commit more crime. Crackdowns make criminals more violent to avoid capture. Instead of throwing money away on prisons, spend on public services.

Andy, Nottingham, UK

The suggestion is that crime needs harsh punishment. Perhaps, but not as a cure. This government won't pay barristers to prosecute, spends masses on incompetent contractors, chronically underfunds the CPS and closes rehab centres.

It wrecks what works to pay for jails which produce criminals.

richard, horley,

For the last 10 yrs or more we have been confusing 'PUNISHMENT' with 'REHABILITATION'
Offenders are born into a life of crime, it is rarely a choice for them.
Community prisons may be the answer to both problems. Structured re-education with qualifications would restore offenders self esteem!

Shelly, Durham, Co Durham

The problem is that although the majority believes anti-social behaviour should be punished, the minority (comprised largely of lawyers) holds the strings of influence and legislators dance accordingly.
Control of the criminal justice system must be wrested from those who think they know best!

Paul Neri, Canberra , Australia

if 10% of the people in non-jobs in the public sector created since 1997 were made to work on the front line as probation officers, prison educators etc.. there would be ample resources for a proper regime of custody and rehabilitation.

NBeale, London, England

Punishment alone will not eradicate crime. Only profound social and cultural change can bring about real improvement in crime statistics.

Mira, London, UK

Whatever happened to the terms "innocent until PROVEN Guilty"?

These days, it seems not one iota of that phrase applies to anyone. Could that possibly be what they are afraid of? "They will say I did something, so I might as well do this..."
This is not condoning violence Just questions.

DSC, Portland, USA

I'm afraid that 'morality' is a delusion. Over several generations punishment and punishment alone dictates what is an abomination. Homosexuality was normal (even socially desirable) until Christians started burning you for it. Drunken driving made you 'a lad' until it carried harsh penalties.

Eric Skelton, Cardiff, Wales

'In a nutshell' severe physical punishment is the only deterrent to violent crime, sexual crime cannot be deterred but must also receive this form of punishment.
We need a leader who is conscious, brave and unnerving, from a governing party with backbone.

James Leasor, HARROGATE, ENGLAND