An invitation to reoffend

Make Justice Work in the Guardian

“The short term prison sentence is a disaster for offenders and society. But there are alternatives.

It was with a heavy heart that I read of Alan Johnson’s pledge this week to revive the state crusade against antisocial behaviour. Our new home secretary was concerned that the government had been “coasting” on the issue. The prospect of more rhetoric about yob culture leaves me weary. But it’s further troubling because another spike in Asbo use will inevitably cause an increase in one of the most individually corrosive, socially useless and economically indefensible elements of our criminal justice system: the short-term prison sentence…“