In July, I wrote a letter to the editor of the
Birmingham Mail following an article that was published about dealing with young
offenders:
Lynne Jones MP
152 words
25 July 2006
Birmingham Mail
(c) 2006 Birmingham Post & Mail Ltd
YOUR coverage of Beverley Thomas's call for boot camp regimes (Mail, July 14) refers to 'yobs'
and 'young offenders' whilst making little distinction between offences.
Some young people commit violent crimes and have to be detained for public
safety reasons. The regime they face should both punish and rehabilitate.
However, locking up non-violent young people makes them
worse and impedes their chances of moving away from crime, getting a job and contributing
to, instead of taking from society.
Punishment
regimes must be about what works and to be effective must take account of the
disintegrating and often non-existent family life experienced by many young offenders. I
want to see a greater focus on reparation - offenders having to face victims, hear their
side and make up for their crimes through hard work in the community.
