Van Zyl, " let Jesus into their lives" what a joke. Religion is why this world is so screwed. Family Values is what's lacking here, not a false god being shoved down some innocent kids throat by Jesus freaks.
They've lived by the sword, they'll die by the sword, and not a moment too soon.

Baphomet, Bristol,

"I foresee rivers of blood on our streets" Now where have heard that before?

kem, shrewsbury , shropshire

And the victims? did these and other criminals have assets removed (or from their parents if under 18) or social handouts stopped and paid handsomely to the victims. Of course not, the criminals have pleasant prison life, learn new "trades" whilst the victims suffer without rights!
It is long overdue that we have custodial sentences as punishment not, as now, removal from the public. Punishment means loss of the social status of freedom.

DM, London, UK

Tha's 14 people now stabbed to death in England alone this month. I am not genius but I think its time the government started to act!?

cormaquinho, madrid, spain

It's time to give youngsters something to belong to, a meaning other than the dole, and for those who chose not to follow i think Pinochet had a good system, desaparecidos. That way they don't cost the tax payer ie society a waste of resources.

gino, madrid, spain

Why don't we stop encouraging people to have babies as a means to an end - the 'benefits' of being single parents? Children have become nothing more than that - a means to an end. Then, once they are there, when the realities of raising children become apparent - they become a curse. The parents treat them like dirt, the children are sworn at and grow up in hostile homes, have terrible role models... and then become what (?)- exactly like their parents. Why don't we start holding parents accountable and stop blaming everything on the government? When are parents going to take the responsibility for their own roles in raising children with manners, modesty, repsect for others? If they LOVED their children, they would'nt need to belong to gangs to have a sense of belonging and power over others.

Karin, London, UK

Simple answer: Capital punishment and the reinstigation of the rule of outlawry; anyone who lives without the rule of law has the law's protection of them rescinded- this would allow people to defend themselves from these criminals with anything up to and including lethal force.
Of course, this argument does fall to pieces if the criminal is armed. Our government, in it's infinite wisdom, regards any act of self defence as criminal. It has also made legal ownership of the only tool on the planet capable of allowing a 9-stone woman to defend herself from a 16-stone would be rapist a criminal offence, too. So we have a situation where criminals carry and are more than ever prepared to use guns and knives, the police are busy providing armed protection for MPs and celebrities and staying out of the ghettos, while the law abiding taxpayer is not permitted to defend themselves. Doesn't take Nostradamus to predict that the streets will run with blood before this is resolved.....

Pete North, manchester,

Social workers should be vehicles of social changes not requred to sit in their offices filling in paperwork .
we do have to shift the focus of our work and become more hands on.these problems need one to one and active involvement .PArents need to be tuaght how to take more responsebilty.
Good for having a Socialworker that still cares so much that she is willing to let go!!

Juanita, Brecon, powys

I'll tell you what went wrong... basically we taught these kids that they were animals, just another bunch of chemicals with no further value in life than what wealth they attain.

You tell someone they are an animal long enough.. they will act like one.
Can anyone honestly say that if these kids had accepted Jesus into their lives that they wouldnt be different?
I know for a fact that they would be, what a waste :-(

John van Zyl, London, UK

5 Yrs HA! out in in probably 2. Rediculous system. Its a laughing stock. No wonder crime levels are soaring....where are the deterants?

cormaquinho, madrid, spain

How about bringing back the sentence of 'outlaw' i.e. those who chose to live outside the law would be without the protection of the law...........
Perhaps a tase of what it is like to be 'prey' rather than 'preyed upon' would solve the problem?
This would, of course, be after the 5 year minimum.
The theory behind shorter sentences for 'apologising' is that if the offender is made aware of the suffering of the victim they will be good enough to cease offending - surely giving them a taste of 'victimhood' would be a better way?
I will now go into hiding from those who wish me to turn the other cheek.............

J D S, Cardiff, Wales UK

Minimum of five years, thats not a sentence thats a joke, no wonder these black thugs couldn,t care less. Anyone who uses a knife should automatically get life. If you use a knife there is alway potential of death and the sentence should reflect the fact.

We should be prepaired to build enough prisons to hold all these thugs into their old age in neccesarry.

D Case, Newquay, UK

'He was jailed indefinitely yesterday with a minimum of five years'
The sentence means he only has to serve 5 years- pathetic.
We need to bring back hanging.

David Thijm, Stourbridge, UK

It's time for the return of punishments which fit the crime- and to hell with the human rights of violent criminals.

Everyone should start out with basic human rights, but one of the penalties for being a violent criminal should be the sacrifice of some of those rights,

We're heading for anarchy and vigilantism. Only fifty years ago we thought that England was the most civilised country in the world (we REALLY believed that). What went wrong?

j griffiths, manchester, england