[ian@huth]

Times have certainly changed since I was a kid and I don't think many of the changes are for the better. Punishment at all levels is a bit of a joke in todays world and the people who deserve to be punished know this and push everything to the limit. Whilst this thread has mainly talked about schoolchildren we should also be looking at older people. The punishment for many crimes isn't that much of a punishment and in some cases culprits look on their punishment as a reward. If you have ever seen the inside of a young offenders or open prison you would be amazed. When I worked for the British Library IT department at Boston Spa we had both a young offenders and open prison next door. Some of the prisoners used to work for us doing manual jobs and gardening. We used to play the prisoners at football and cricket and when playing cricket used to have a meal in the prison. Life for the prisoners was more like a term in a holiday camp rather than a punishment and many reoffende just to get back in for an easy life with good food, accomodation and recreational facilities. We talked many times with prisoners about what would be effective deterrants and several said that corporal punishment would be more of a deterrant than a term inside.