h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Well, that's too bad then, innit?

az

Does this link in with government proposals to imprison people for what they might do? I seem to remember a debate concerning people with violent incurable mental disorders and the govt wanting to jail them indefinately. It fell foul of the HRA I believe.

Indeed, sexusl desire remains after the removal of the testes and/or penis, and other abusive possibilities would remain.

Of course...there *are* effective voluntary treatment/supervision programmes for sex offenders, but these are unpopular with the public - largely because the whole area is complex and therefore not well understood.

Maybe we should lock up the rapists and free the council tax defaulters. Just a thought.

Well indeed, there are certainly many, many people in prison who do not need to be. The UK has the highest per capita prison population in Europe. For most crime, we know that prison simply does not work, either as a means of deterrence or to reduce repeat offendinding. Further - we know what measures do work, but lack the political will to promote them; they're portrayed as namby-pamby do-gooding.

I wouldn't disagree for a minute that prison is necessary in respect of certain serious or violent crimes - but these represent but a small fraction of overall crime. We need to be a lot smarter in how we deal with lesser crimes (and I'm including things like burglary here).