You have to question the logic of a system that provides prison conditions which are nicer than home. No wonder so many kids in the UK don't mind going to jail. They get to see all their friends again. Don't get me started. American jails seem tougher, well they must be tougher than here.
The fact that prisons here are overflowing is to me clear evidence that they don't act as a deterrent. Kids go to prison here and they get three meals a day made for them, a warm bed, their own space, TV, recreation facilities. No wonder it's not that bad in their view. I'm pretty sure they get pocket money for cigarettes too. Bring back chain gangs, make them earn their keep I say.
I sympathise for those in America, because crime must be worse because there is more real poverty. People here genuinely don't realise how lucky they are. Can anyone in America or Canada reading this imagine not having to pay to see a doctor or go to the hospital?