Express & Star comment: More jails and reform imperative

As we see on a daily basis, the criminal justice system bends over backwards to give criminals any penalty other than a prison sentence.

When it does lock them up, the aim appears to be to release them back into society as quickly as possible.

This has nothing to do with rehabilitation, as the courts often claim, it is a measure designed simply to clear space for the next batch of criminals.

One thing leads to another, and because people view the criminal justice system as a soft touch, more crimes are committed and more people go before the courts.

The result is that an already chronic problem gets worse. The answer is patently clear and yet it is one that politicians have failed to grasp for decades.

This country needs more prisons.

On top of that, the prison service desperately requires an overhaul. Strict discipline must be enforced behind bars.

This means that those caught with drugs in jail should not be given a slap on the wrist, but instead must receive an increased custodial penalty.

Unfortunately, such a common sense approach is out of kilter with ‘modern progressive liberal thinking’.

Hence the morass continues to deepen, dragging wider society further down a hole largely of its own making.

The drift towards centre-left politics in our mainstream parties means that there is little difference between Theresa May’s Tories and New Labour under Tony Blair.

Of course, when Mr Blair said he was being ‘tough on crime, and tough on the causes of crime’ he was doing what he did best: Lying through his teeth.

Worryingly, the current Prime Minister is not even mentioning the issue.

Mrs May appears to be adopting her trademark technique of hiding behind the settee and hoping the problem goes away.

Violence in our jails has reached crisis levels. It is only a matter of time before it explodes on a consistent basis, at which point there will no doubt be a knee-jerk reaction.

You can guarantee this won’t be geared towards calls for a tougher regime.

It will be to pander to soft-hearted, politically motivated reform groups who exist primarily to make life even more cushy for criminals.

It is about time those who we entrust with the crucial task of keeping our streets safe began accepting the reality of the situation, and acknowledged that whatever they are doing, it is not working.

The criminal justice system, the prison service and the Government must reflect the wishes of the people.

It is not too late for Mrs May to break away from her cycle of inactivity and bring in measures to get a grip on law and order in this country.

That means a root and branch overhaul of a system that has long been unfit for purpose.

People who are convicted for violent crimes must be given lengthy prison sentences.

The time they spend behind bars should reflect the need to punish criminal behaviour, as well as for rehabilitation purposes. Criminals should not be returning to our streets simply to commit more crime.

We must break the seemingly never-ending cycle of repeat offending.

All of this is underpinned by one key requirement.

We need to build more prisons.