This is very true, I agree wholeheartedly. What's the solution to this problem in general then?
No idea, I can only offer my opinion.
1. Serve full sentences that reflect their crime, no reductions.
2. Make prison life harsher. No visitors, no sky TV, single cells, proper work, but include time for compulsory education built in. Learn skills useful within society.
3. Make criminals pay the full cost of any damages caused
4. Once leaving prison have schemes to incentivise employers to employ ex prisoners. Have a form of localised ‘national service‘ where they receive the minimum wage within communities gardening schemes for the disabled, decorating schemes, litter picking, all sorts of jobs, overseen by probation or councils to improve the community to practice their skills. Rehabilitation only works if it is continued after release.
5. Repeating of criminality apply increased sentences if found guilty
6. Deportation of non UK citizens or revoking citizenship where dual status held.
7. Death penalty for terrorists and serial killers
8. Name and shame anyone aged 10 or over guilty of a serious/repeated criminal offence
9. Hold parents to account more than is currently the case for their children's actions.
10. Home curfews and increased tagging for low level offenders.
There‘s a few musings of which none will ever happen, a mixture of strong deterrent and some incentivising. Schools should teach more on citizenship, good parenting, life skills, not just the core subjects. A troubled home life is often the cause for a delinquent child growing into a criminal adult. Nobody teaches anyone to be a good parent unfortunately, children learn from parental behaviours, not just the good stuff unfortunately. In lots of households parents don’t check what their kids are up to outside of the home. The home, thats where the seeds are often grown and determines how we blossom as adults, not always, but more often than not.
