CRIMINAL JUSTICE

The criminal justice system in this country is bonkers.
 
Three men walk free after a well organised fraud of a 90 year old woman totalling £185, 000 - but a 16 year old boy is remanded in custody for failing to produce a valid TV licence.  And a 19 year old boy is remanded in custody for failing to produce a valid car insurance certificate
 
And a 37 year old homeless man – in court for failing to turn up to 3 meetings out of 17 with his court supervisor is denied bail and sent back to jail until his trial becuase he has nowhere else to go. 
 
Meanwhile, a rich and famous football player, arrested on suspicion of rape after police were called to the boutique hotel in which he was staying after a club party is given bail until his trail in two months, but a 41 year old father, a solicitor is jailed for 20 months for trying to take back his seven month old daughter from interim foster care – who was put into care because of ‘mental health difficulties’ of his wife. 
 
And today – a British born man who’s served 20 years of a life sentence on death row – having narrowly avoided being given the death sentence – for unintentionally starting a fire in which a young girl was killed – is released  after serving 20 years ond death row, while three 13 year old boys who started a fire on purpose in a warehouse - but said they thought it had been put out when they left - causing the death of a 33 year old man - were cleared by a jury
 
This is wrong.  Because:
 
Jailing young offenders, or indeed older/repeat offenders does not solve the problem.  – Prison is not an effective rehabilitation for offenders.  
 
So what is the purpose of Prison?
- To punish?
- To keep away from society so no more harm to others can be done?
- To rehabilitate?
 
Are any of these aims compatable?  Are some of them, perhaps, counteractive?  And are they really achieved by jailing offenders? - And if not – what’s the point, excatly?
 

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