Prison sentences
Sir: Any learned judge, to be truly worthy of the epithet, must realise that a prison sentence, of whatever length, is inevitably of lifelong duration, since
the stigmata resulting from incarceration remain with the unfortunate lawbreaker until his death: society, so swift to punish, is, on the contrary, most slow to forgive — let alone forget. It is therefore a contradiction in terms to speak of a 'light' sentence, arid the only case for the 'open' prison Is that it is more likely to be less of a snake-pit than one of the oldfashioned, hopelessly overcrowded variety, in which life is reduced to soul-destroying routine. Those criminals against whom society must of necessity protect itself — the recidivists — should be confined to institutions more of the nature of hospitals than of gaols; whilst occasional and for minor offenders should be compelled to make restitution,
„ commensurate, if possible, with me offence, and thereafter to undertake, for a period, work of national forces, (for pay), in the armed I.orces, or the mines, or on the land, or in road-building, or in house-building . • • without prejudice, of course, to the afelader's future civil career.
B. L. Howarth
39 Kent Street, Fleetwood
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