prison does work .. it is a deterrent .. I am living proof .. If it were not for the thought I might get sent to prison I may have committed numerous offences, as would indeed I suspect many of my peers.
The problem relates only to a small proportion of society ..
What is the answer if not Prison

jurgen, St Maixent sur Vie, France

Fixing problems by fighting is not confined to the young. Middle aged paunchy men were laying into the police in Manchester recently. When the economy is driven by personal debt and consumer over spending, and where spivving unearned cash is admired, then cracks of envy and hate start to appear.

Colin Horsman, Cambridge, UK

one strike your out...simple as.

Alexander, london, England

yes but they can't steal my TV while they're there can they?

Michael, London, UK

Yes, build more prisons and/or re-introduce the Death Penalty, and actually start to remove those from Society who do not wish to integrate and conform.
Let the rest of us live in some kind of peace and harmony; then the mistrust might reverse and colour and religion will not be seen as a problem?

Terry, Bagneres, France

I teach 3 to 11 year olds, with many I would confidently say they will never commit more than a parking/ speeding offence. Some I know are going to be using up my tax money. Heckman is right.

Diana, Derby,

A friend was involved in a fight due to excessive drinking. He was trouble free and has a good job, had served in he armed forces as is well educated person.
He was expecting jail for 3 to 6 months He got to 240 hours community service and this helped him address his drinking and lifestyle.

Jay Tee, Oxford, UK

Benefits: There needs to be a birthrate cap, to avoid future imbalances in ethnic and social groups and to avoid overloading all our systems. Prisons would then not be so crowded and should be there primarily to keep undesirables away from law abiders. Any other reason is secondary.

Chris C, Torquay, UK

Prisons do not exist to "cure" criminals.

For the term of an offender's incarceration society is spared further crimes.

Whether or not you agree with the appropriateness of prisons please stop this liberal fallacy that a prisons' success is based on re-offending. That's not the purpose.

Jerome, London, UK

To reduce the number of speeding offences the penalties are increased and to reduce the incidence of overfilled rubbish bins the penalties are increased, yet to deal with serious crime and re-offending the penalties should be reduced! Make every effort to prevent, if that doesn't work get mad.

Terry, Radstock, England

It would work if they were a little harder on these criminals. No T.V., no computers, not gym just hard graph on a chain gang. That is what is needed and until someone wakes up and does something other than pussy footing around with the liberal brigade crime will escalate.

Gilmartin, Bristol, England

This liberal plea misses the point; the legal systems' primary purpose must be to protect the public, not reform the criminal. If this can be done, well and good. But if not removal from the society they prey on will suffice.

Harry O, Lancashire,

Edward Green, above, is just about right. No career criminals should be on the streets. If they cant stop offending, they shouldnt be in society.

TJ, Leeds,

In the past prison went hand in hand with hanging and flogging perhaps these two options might make people reconsider their actions if those are the consequences.

Dan, Winchester, UK

If people reoffend when we let them out the answer is staring us in the face.

Eric Skelton, Cardiff, Wales

Finally, a sensible article on crime and punishment which doesn't provide fuel for the populist punitivism of the last few governments. Magnus is right in asserting that prisons simply do not work but instead make matters worse. We need to improve grass root problems not lock everyone up!

Mark Walters, Oxford,

Prison does not seem to work. Criminals ought to be forced to work in full view of the community in penal gangs. They should be dressed in clothing that humiliates them. The perverted form of dignity they earn among other criminals in gaol should be denied them.

Tam Earl-Aine, Cheltenham,

Ron,
Have you ever considered that it was your generation of 'short sharp shock' that begat what we have today?
Does violence not encourage violence? Does it not encourage 'society has hurt me so I will hurt society' mentalism?
Look at domestic violence and the downward spiral that creates!

AK, Pig Hill,

Let's be plain, people respond to stimuli, if there's no stimulus to great enough to stop them from committing crime they will. Equally you need to see if the stimuli to commit crime is greater than the stimuli to stop committing crime. But most do not see the punishment they receive as a deterant.

duncan, Wokingham,

If offenders work in the community then we need to improve on the 20% who actually complete their community orders in full. There is a case for making custody more onerous so that it is more of a detterrant but also make it an option for those who breach community orders,they will soon get message!

Geoff C, Kingswinford, UK

Alan London UK

Absolutely spot on, I recall making similar comments elsewhere. The problem is the Gov.t does not have the spine to make changes like that.

C Kroustis, London, UK

Forgiveness when someone is truly remorseful can work, but reality, these people with knives and gangs see it as a "got away with it again, only slap on the wrist- let's continue to terrorise".
I've been threatened by a gang of drunks on a plane. The police did not turn up .. what deterrent?

Phil A, Guildford, UK

Magnus,good for the causes of talking about feral youth but hopless in the practice.You espouse what is already attempted and our society (unlike US) is too soft and liberal to impliment.
The worthwhile part of identifying and shaming offenders with red tracksuits is out - human rights you know.

robert everitt, wolverhampton,

Many who endorse imprisonment do so only because capital punishment is, foolishly I think, no longer an option. The high rate of reoffending is, surely, a condemnation of the efficacity of the former, and the clear need for the latter even - perhaps especially - in the case of youth crime.

Michael Broers, Oxford, UK

Punishment is not a deterrent, unless it is extreme and inhumane (maybe some people want this). Being caught is a deterrent.
Despite all of the negative comments if you manage to make one person think then the article is worth writing.

Tony W, Reading,

This man is not required to think. You are not political sir; That is simply not not your job.

Clearly you are as left wing as is practically every single institution in the UK bar the Army.

You are not a political animal. Catch them. That is you're job.

Jay Wallams , Dundee, UK

If politicians are sincere in their belief in alternatives to prison then they need to sell their vision to the public, inspire us and give us confidence. This is a task of leadership but there are no leaders, only managers. Can anyone name a politician who has relentlessly pushed this agenda?

Jon, North West, UK

1) First offenders should certainly, where practical be given restitutive sentences + counselling etc.
2) Second offenders should get a warning prison sentence
3) Three time crooks should be shipped off to a nice cheap gaol in a 3rd world country and locked up there till they die.

Edward Green, Upminster,

The 24/7 medai campaign on knife cimes is to promote the stop and search laws police have aquired,Explain labour concerned about thelives of our teenagrs then spending taxpayer cash on training and guns and knifes for the same generation to kill in vanity wars in iraq etc. ah its the global ec

michael , cahersiveen-adams town, madness

"I speak for all right thinking people when I say bring back corporal punishment."

No you don't; you're no less of a thug than the people you want birching.

Jim, Exeter,

We can certainly learn from the American policy of 'zero tolerance'.

ian cheese, london, uk

The problem is the benefit system. People are encouraged to produce children they do not want and cannot afford by payment of benefits for babies.

The girls so produced go on to replicate this lifestyle and the boys go to prison. And you the law abiding tax payer funds this disaster.

H horse, Jersey,

You Have no concept of what a proper punishment regime can do.
If you go back to the 50-60s military prisons where people were given short sentences, their re-offending rate is miniscule. Just ask any of those old lags what it was like.

Sid Jacques, Durham,

Punishment in the community has a proven lower rate for recidivism, but they remain hard to implement as the offender is not incarcerated an thus cannot be tracked and maintained all the time. I believe prison should be left primarily for those offences which are so serious i.e. murder, GBH, sexual.

Joshua Head, Nottingham, England

The fact that ex-prisoners often commit more crimes is not in itself evidence that 'prison doesn't work'. The same people might have committed even more crimes even if they hadn't gone to jail. Prison at least keeps people out of circulation for a while.

Frank Upton, Solihull,

I totally agree that prison is not the answer to the problem posed by these young offenders. A short sharp shock is what is required and the this would be adequately provided by bringing back the birch or flogging.

I speak for all right thinking people when I say bring back corporal punishment.

Ron Ipstone, Conway, The United Kingdom of Great Britain and NI

Prisons here are too comftable. I overheard two men talking on the train. One said he'd much rather go to prison then pay a fine etc because he had free satellite tv as wella s all his meals, cleaning etc taken care of.

Make the prisoners put right the damage they've done!

Luke, London, UK

Most repeat offenders are people with serious mental health problems masked by drug addiction, and prisons have replaced Victorian lunatic asylums as a place to dump the desperate.
Get these people into real care and then we'd have the time and money to educate and rehabilitate real criminals.

Camilla, Burnley,

It is frankly disingenuous to suggest that prison is not an option, and, if the prisons are full, ship the nasty little thugs off to some thoroughly unpleasant third world country where they can be put to work for a few years until they have learned to toe the line.

Steve, Plymouth, UK

In our society a minority of problem families are responsible for most of the anti social behaviour on the streets. It is not the area but rather the people who live there!
Prison is not the solution . Instead the children need to be taken away from their parents to learn civilised behaviour.

col, bristol, uk

Crime and punishment is not working in the UK because we have crime with no punishment. How can you expect any respect for the law when we have people walking around with over 100+ crimes under their belt. Start punishing for pities sake.

Roger, Surrey.,

The polemics of British society will never be in a position to deal effectively with the causation of crime as our politics encourage the growth of an underclass. I think the answer must be Preventive Detention after the usual attempts at reformation vide Probation Orders etc., have been tried.

Robert El-Cid., Hull., East Yorks.,

We've been hearing this nonsense for over 20 years. Let's look at some facts.

In the USA they increased the numbers in prison dramatically, crime fell dramatically. In the UK we've doubled the numbers in prison, crime has halved (according to the govt.).

Now, let's see those in favour of "talking therapies" come up with similar figures for dealing with serious criminals, not a group of graffiti artists

Richard Evans, Herts, UK

But what about the elephant in the room? Non-custodial sentences expose the public to predatory offenders. The problem isn't prison: the problem is that we let violent people out even when we know they're likely to re-offend. A government's first duty is to protect its citizens. Ours doesn't!

Jack, Glasgow, UK

If the UK were to put offenders in recognisable punishment garb and put them out to work in public view there would be an outcry from the left about human rights and a band of lowlife lawyers making challenges in the courts. I'm sure the EU would have a rule against it as they have about most things

Viv, London, England

Prison as is, does NOT deter people from crime. Hard labour prisons with no association, very restricted visits, no tv, no anything other than the basic requirements to live, would be a very different matter. But we cant possibly treat scum like that can we? They have rights. They should lose them.

Alan, London, England

The "University of Crime" nomenclature is glib and meaningless.
It presupposes outside Prison a recidivist has fruitful , mind improving time discussing such esoterics as "Mongolian ceramaics and its effect on civilisation"
Crime is a life style, better than the daily grihd, hence its popularit

Peter Bolt, Redditch , UK

Prison. Stop and search. We must not antagonise these young nasty minded people? What rubbish, if they are not carrying then what is the problem, if they are carrying, stop and search will save a life. All these goody goody PC people seem to put the rights of thugs and criminals before innocent members of the public. All my life I have been against corporal punishment. But when I hear what these knife carrying yobs have to say for themselves! I believe the only answer to their bravado is to give them a punishment they will fear. Bring back the Birch, for gun and knife carriers. Then full blown hard labour. Not Nu-Labour.

gordon, london , england

The reason that prison does not work is because sentences are based on the idea that the punishment should fit the crime. This is untrue. After stealing 2 cars & getting away with a slap on the wrist, the 3rd car you steal should get you 10 years inside. A simple risk/return calculation.

Sarah Gore, Paris, France

From mankind's earliest law codes of Hammurabi, society hasagreed to protect the individual, agreeing that through society's punishment, the individual was relieved of the obligation seeking personal retribution.

When it fails in the social compact, society returns retribution to the individual.

Bob Evans, Anaheim, California

The data is there: it WORKS. I'm as keen as the next person for national Service, Penal Legions or even contracting out prisons to Russia / Jamaica etc etc...

I have said "what else is there?" Well - here it is. I'm big enough to say I have learnt something today.

Richard, London, England

Prisoners still commit crimes in prison which in turn creates crime on the outside. Its a safe haven for some.

Will , west kirby,

Progress on youth crime will come when we address underlying causes. The youth are just a reflection of us adults.
Youth respect for human dignity whilst our parliamentarians pass laws that deny such dignity? Abortions at 24 weeks;create life for another's sake;create humanimal embryos. All linked

Joseph Ogbonna, London, UK

You fail to appreciate the misery these yobs can cause in communities. Do you really think they care if they are seen in orange jump suits - it is merely saying "don't mess with me". Prison is the only respite communities get.

Pauline Renton, Camberley, UK

The sole purpose of prison is not rehabilitation. Punishment is a factor - these people are in the dock for a reason. Specific deterrence may not work 100%, but general deterrence? A prison sentence deters me from crime. Besides, if they're in prison they're not committing crimes outside.

Steve Jacks, London,