Jack Straw hits out at Archbishop for 'don't jail youths' plea

Jack Straw yesterday blasted the Archbishop of Canterbury after he called for under-18s not to be jailed.

The Justice Secretary said he had to realise many young criminals were "large unpleasant thugs" who deserved prison.

He told the Commons: "Very few young people get put into custody... and only for very serious offences. They are not children. They are frightening to the public."

Dr Rowan Williams said he was "alarmed" by the number of children being criminalised. A total of 1,450 17-year-olds are in jail in England and Wales.

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i was watching this article on the tele a few nights ago, and i have given it lots of thought over the last few days, i understand that 1,450 17yr olds are in jail through england and wales, but don't they deserve to be locked up? I mean listen, they did the crime, if they can't do the time, then don't do the crime, its simple it really is, the archbishop was bascially saying that many of these kids are from broken homes, yes that is true, but so are many other kids, but you don't see them going around casuing trouble, i have been a victim and so have my children of these little bullies, thugs, and they need to be put away, many of you will say "OUTRAGE, PRISON DOESN'T WORK" but be on teh recieving end of these young thugs and then tell me that you won't feal this way.

Its true that many MANY teenagers live life, and not cause trouble and those teenagers i will agree are not any problem,

so if jail isn't the right thing? what is? shall we rub they're tummies ane give them a massage, with a biscuit and coffee, while singing a nice song?

 

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I think both of them have a point - jailing a teenager should be the last resort, and I don't think its very constructive for them or society in the long-term - nor do I think its much of a deterrent for kids who see a stint in chokey as something of a badge of honour and a mark of their wanabe gangsta street cred.
But sometimes there seems to be little choice but to lock the worst of them away.
Personally I think that there are better deterrents and more constructive solutions - for example if instead of getting banged up in a cell, working out in the gym, and getting stoned for 6 months, which is what apparently happens in prison, what if young people who were regular offenders were drafted into the army (say on their third offence or one some sort of points tariff) - not only is it in no way a soft option but it also gives these kids an opportunity to get some of the things that they never had before - like some positive role models who weren't criminals - and a sense of worth and skills that they might be able to use in the real world.

I also think that zero tolerance policing can be constructive - for example the city where I live - Swansea in South Wales, has something of a reputation for drunken violence on a friday and saturday night - and it's a reputation it deserves.
Part of the problem is that it has been going on for so long that its almost become an accepted part of the landscape - even by the cops - so its never taken very seriously. I honestly beleive that if the cops here took it really seriously and started to crack down on bad behaviour on a saturday night, and cracked down on everything - so even littering and jaywalking would earn you a night in the cells and a court appearance, that sort of behaviour would evaporate almost overnight.

 

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