In the 1990s, the late David Faulkner explained that German prison sentences were shorter without more crime. Politicians ignore this due to fear of being perceived as soft.
As a junior assistant recorder, I imposed long sentences on drug mules under the misguided belief that deterrence would resonate. It's often semi-literate women coerced into crime.
We lack a principled national idea of what prison is for. The notion of punishment for its own sake reflects the ideologically barren state of our criminal justice.
Cutting sentences for non-violent offenders and investing in education and rehabilitation could effectively address the current crisis without increasing reoffending rates. This is a practical alternative.
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