The tory solution for prison overcrowding!

Cossy

It’s quite simple though, imo, more police back out on the beat, re-open all the local police stations (haha most of them now new flats!), police to follow up on ALL crimes, unless a very good reason, only imprison those committing serious and violent crime, (for LONG sentences), everyone else should be given lengthy supervised community service and also given rehabilitation training, drug addicts and other addictions to receive rehab, probation services to be given much firmer rules about working with ex offenders. Our system is a mess, under funded, under staffed, like almost every other public service!!

I would also add that investing in youth services and education will help young people getting into gang crime.
Year ago I worked in a PRU that was very successful with turning round the lives of young offenders.
What happened? The centre was closed and all professional staff made redundant. The council was later taken into special measures for mismanaging its young people's services.
What a crazy world we live in!

Yes, we should learn from other nations but we seem reluctant to do so. The Scandinavian approach is based on rehabilitation not punishment. As a result they have a low rate of recidivism. Also, the UK's poor housing and poor education must surely impact on people's lives and opportunities. These are not Acts of God.

Oh - the British establishment always think they are better than anyone else and never accept that they are not. Sad but true.

You can still be imprisoned for having a TV but no licence, and Council Tax arrears. It's one of those quirks that being unable to afford your Council Tax is classified as a criminal matter not a civil matter.

And yet, if you shoplift goods beneath a certain value the police may well not attend. Terriffic, innit?

“Of course, there are some who will "diss" anyone and everyone, but generally speaking, I've seen quite a lot of sympathy for the kind of involvement that the police have to deal with, from dangerous dogs to protestors flouting the law.”

Really would you like to quote some examples.

Police are much more often accused of being heavy handed, corrupt, unsympathetic, not responding, not visible, overzealous

Feel sorry for the police, who would want the job. More prevention and education, too many youngsters are on the wrong path before teenagers.

Katie590

“Of course, there are some who will "diss" anyone and everyone, but generally speaking, I've seen quite a lot of sympathy for the kind of involvement that the police have to deal with, from dangerous dogs to protestors flouting the law.”

Really would you like to quote some examples.

Police are much more often accused of being heavy handed, corrupt, unsympathetic, not responding, not visible, overzealous

You made a generalised accusation, and I made a generalised rebuttal - and you're asking me for examples, but don't give any yourself?

England and Wales. 146

Wales: 177 per 100,000 in 2023 - the highest in Western Europe, according to reports, but that is a misleading statistic

Approximately one third (32%) of all people in prison in Wales in 2022 were from England.

As Maizie says, we need to treat the causes of crime. The majority of prisoners are either illiterate, mentally ill or ex-service.

The best way forward is not to put these in prison but find a way of improving their eductaional levels, treating their mental problems and having more effective support services for those coming out of our armed services.

Iam64

We need modern prisons I agree but we send far too many people to prison, more than other Northern European counties and our reoffending rates are higher
As the party of law n order the govt has failed to update and improve
In the 70’s and 80’s there were campaigns to expand alternatives to custody. Instead we have a broken privatised probation service, minimal drug/alcohol services and increased homelessness
Awful

I agree.