Why Britain must end its use of short prison sentences

ENGLAND AND Wales lock up a lot of people—more than any European Union country. Because keeps those who pose a danger to the public off the streets, it is popular. But an increasingly punitive approach to crime, coupled with a failure to provide enough cells and guards, means that prisons are and violent. As a result, they often fail to rehabilitate criminals, even though the government says that is one of prison’s main aims.