Subject: Gang crime....

Completely agree with what you say apart from this:

Secondly we have a rehabilitative penal system not a punitive one per se.

I dont believe the British penal system rehabilitates many offenders effectively, all it serves to do is temporally remove offenders from the community that they commit crimes in.

I dont walk down the road and mug an old lady for two simple reasons,

1. It has been drilled into me that it is not socially acceptable by my parents
2. I would be scared of getting caught + sent to jail

If I had not had the social upbringing that I did, then point 1 may not actually be that effective. If the penal system is not a punishment, then point 2 is not that effective.

Then we come to the situation we are in today, where people are willing to rob pensioners (or randomly beat them up) as there is nothing to stop them!

I agree entirely and that is why having a penal system that falls between two camps is a load of horse knackers.

Prison should be a lot more uncomfortable than it is, I am not say Guantanemo - no one should have to wear orange - but we need a serious deterrant to potential criminals. Not sure how to bring back basic human respect though...

serious deterrent to potential criminals

Nail on the head!

While Joe Arpaio may be a little extreme, he does present a interesting concept. Pretty much substituting orange with pink!
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serious deterrent to potential criminals

Nail on the head!

a nail on the head would hurt. i'm deterred from a life of crime. thanks g man

As always, its a pleasure doing my civic duty.

I am going to complain!

One of the projects I am working on incorporates a new prison for the law abiding folk of Naaaarch. I fully expect the company to get at least five years of work just navigating the planning system and I will consider myself a genius if I get any bricks laid before 2015. A bunch of tents could be erected in weeks and resolve all issues to do with overcrowding and detention almost overnight! What are you playing at! ;-)

As for the extreme bit, nah, that guy is a genius.

Then he started chain gangs for women so he wouldn't get sued for discrimination.

Is it just me, or do the ladies look far more fearsome than the gents?

And just imagine how much litter picking, graffiti scrubbing, road repairs, painting, paving and other such mundane but essential tasks we could get done.

Nah. It will never work.

The curious thing is that we have the longest sentences and highest numbers of people in jail in history and yet people still thing yet longer sentences would be a deterrent - despite the clear failure of this policy so far.

However, sentence given and time actually served are rarely, if ever, the same.

I'm not joining the Daily Mail brigade here, but there does seem to be a culture in the UK of get a 1 year sentence, for say ABH, then be out in 4 to 6 months on good behaviour - doesn't this some what soften the deterrent?

there's always been time off for good behavior, etc

The point is that despite that there are more people in jail, for longer periods, than ever before - and crime hasn't noticeably changed as a result. Clearly deterrence, whilst it might have an effect on the law abiding, has little effect in changing the law-breaker's behavior.

I caught a pheado in the bushes the other day. There were feathers everywhere.

You mean you couldn't spend 3 years arguing over the planning regulations for the foundation structure for a tent?

You have seriously gone down in my estimations! :)

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I dont think a wide screen TV and lack of bum love is really a deterrent!

Edit: Except for woppa!
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It is the bloody law!

No planning needed for a temporary structure. You know like garden sheds, gazebos, mobile homes on blocks, the London Eye; that sort of thing...

you are presumably generally law-abiding

anyway I think you could double or treble the prison time for GBH and have not the slightest effect on crime

agreed. mindless violence and tempers do not really afford one any time to think about ones actions.