"Bring back Capital Punishment" while ever we have those that advocate a simplistic draconian approach to crime our prisons will be bulging. Crime will continue at an alarming rate. the viscous cycle will continue. Of a population of about 22m about 0.1%, or around 22.000 people are in jail, 70% of prison inmates in Australia have been in jail before, Aboriginals are 14 times more likely to find themselves in prison than non indigenous people and 33% are serving a sentence of less than 2 years. All over the western world the socio-economically disadvantaged will be more likely to find themselves in prison than the general community.
For some, like welfare dependency, jail is part of life, part of the vicious circle. In many cases the answer is prevention not incarceration. Prevention of lesser crime, the 33% and more of inmates and those young people who are on a road to jail, will only be achieved through social equality leading to opportunity, not through some "lock em' up, and throw away the key." approach.

Since they are human you treat them like human beings
david f,
agree but when one human being does wrong to another human being then that human being becomes lesser to the point where the privileges of a good human being are withheld from the not no so good. That's what punishment means & is. The rise in crime in Australia is due to too many factors to look at each individual case . It should be done like with road offences, you're over the limit & you pay with time in the lockup 7& then compensate your victim financially. Now what is fairer than that ?

If a craphead wants to be treated like a human being then the easiest way to achieve that is to behave like a human being & not be a craphead.

Yes, it costs far too much for us, taxpayers, to keep all those jails going. Further, jail only breeds more and more hardened criminals.

What to do?

1. No victim - no crime. Drugs for example are a crime only against oneself. Once not legally a crime, one could obtain their poison cheaply and easily without breaking into other people's homes.

2. Increase fines where possible instead of jail-time.

3. For criminals who do not pose an ongoing risk to others, offer a voluntary exchange of corporal punishment for jail-time.

4. Stop trying to prevent convicted prisoners from committing suicide.

5. Introduce an exile program with one or more third-world countries that are willing to take in criminals for cash. Criminals can then escape jail by signing up to go there. They would have all their assets confiscated to compensate their victims, obtain citizenship of the other country, lose their Australian citizenship and never be allowed to return to Australia.

Yuyutsu, a huge problem with our prison system is the way our prisoners get treated.

I have seen first hand how they are fed, Mon to Sat they had a CHOICE of at least two mains.

They were given a choice, ranging from chicken, beef, pork, lamb, seafood, and each Sunday was roast day, where they had a choice between roast meat (pork, lamb or beef) and roast chicken.

In fact, the roast chicken option was a whole half of a small bird.

This is fact, as I supplied much of the meats to the Woodford prison in country QLD.

Of cause the other thing that amused me, as I have mentioned, was the fact that many were gluten free, or dairy free, even no seafood for some.

My view is that we should take a leaf out of Indonisias prison manual and treat prisoners (only hardened ones) as criminals. Basic food, all get exactly the same, no air conditioning, no TV no pool tables, video games etc.

If they dont like that, DONT DO THE CRIME.

I am afraid that for many, it's become a free ride.

In fact, I know one guy who is trying to get back in as we speak, because one, he won't be homeless and two, he will be fed and three, he won't need money.

Jail in Australia is equivalent to 5 Star accommodation in comparison to what's available to decent, hard working people in poor countries, countries which have been depleted of everything from resources to dignity by outsiders who should be rotting in jail.
Those who want to mollycoddle our crims are in actual fact worse criminals than those whom they constantly excuse. They're nothing but closet criminals without the gonads required to break in & steal. Instead they steal by stealth from all of us by infiltrating the public service.
We really need a referendum on punishment & also trial by Jury. It's the only way to regain some degree of normalcy in Australia. Anyone not born here & causing trouble should be deported back because by remaining here they only use us to build up their resources to eventually hit back at us. Australian born & educated will get intimate experience of the inside of a jail without TV & other goodies.