From what I read (unless I'm not reading the same report) there isn't much to read! Crimes have been redefined (e.g. cannabis has been down-graded and I think is seen as a non-crime, more's the pity), people don't report crime as they once did (fear of reporting and because "no-one does anything anyway, they'll never get caught", plus I've heard victims say "they'll get let off anyway"). Police don't always make an arrest, or even a report, even when a crime is being committed, depending on the severity of it. I know this to be true, horse's mouth and all that. It's usually the paperwork load that acts as a deterrent!As for the prison debate and whether it works or not........the report is looking at it from the wrong angle. The people who fear prison and punishment are on the other side of the gates.......that's the majority of us. So it does work. Take it away and the rest of us, as humans do, will be tempted to commit that crime. I also think there are crimes which we don't often think as crimes......fraud perhaps. As long as it's not violent, no-one gets hurt, it's not our money, that's my take on it (although I myself do think of it as crime.)I think we as humans are all tempted but our values, the influence of our childhood, our network of social contact, fear of getting caught, etc, we don't usually resort to it. Crimes of violence are often the result of a poor childhood full of abuse, neglect, fear and lack of good example. The whole issue of the cause of crime is vast and cannot be pin-pointed with one cause. To say DVDs are cheaper and that's one of the reasons crime is down is laughable. Are we saying crime is committed through greed? Poverty?
Angela White ● 5909d