Sir, I agree with the Lord Chief Justice that people in future will consider our penal system as barbaric as we consider the stocks, the ducking seat and public flogging (“Law chief attacks longer sentences”, Oct 11). I hope it will not take 100 years to change our society’s attitude from vengeful baying for retribution to understanding the consequences of destructive aggression.

Community service cannot be taken seriously while it is seen as a punishment. Any breach of the law is a severance between the perpetrator and the community and an attack on its fabric. There must be consequences and they do not have to be punitive but should attempt to repair the damage through some sort of reparation to the community.

The essential ingredients should be means to help the perpetrator to understand, regret and desire to make reparation for his or her destructive action.

In the long run it would be much cheaper than building more prisons and might go some way towards the enlightenment that punishment in prison is an attempt to cure violence with more violence.

The only justification for prisons is to house people for the protection of the public and themselves. Only a fraction of our current prisons are needed and they don’t need to be punitive to serve this function.

RUTH BARNETT
Clinical director of Raphael Counselling Service,
London NW6

Sir, Howard Sergeant (letter, Oct 16) suggests that Britain learns from other European countries, via the EU, so as to reduce our prison population in line with their own levels.

For every 1,000 criminal convictions in each European country, Britain is near the bottom of the league for imprisonment to conviction rates as a form of punishment.

The reason that British jails are full is because Britain is increasingly crime-ridden because a growing percentage of our population consider breaking the law as recreation and an attractive means to earning a living.

MICHAEL. R. GORDON
Bewdley, Worcs

Sir, With prison overcrowding and a shortage of soldiers, could not fit young offenders be permitted to volunteer for military service instead of languishing in prison?

JOHN PINCHAM
Cobham, Surrey

Sir, Prisons should be turned into educational establishments with prisoners set educational goals according to their needs. Release would be conditional on attainment of these goals.

Jobs would be found for individuals before release and ex-prisoners would have to remain in their job for at least one year and be of good behaviour.

MARION JUDD
Didcot, Oxon

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