It's not gut feel when you see and smell it. And what media outfit , I have no agenda . I live in the real world and base things on what I see and know , not what I read /QUOTE]
It is absolutely gut feel. You are projecting your experience from one area everywhere and expecting it to hold good. There is no scientific method behind it but because you are "real" your view has to be correct. It may well be that there is a problem in your area but without any proper research or assessment it is impossible to say. The evil experts are taking a wider view of the entire position and coming to a conclusion based on the totality of the information not just how real you may or may not be.
I am sorry to say this is where we have got to as country mainly because of the kind of silliness brexit has unleashed. We reject the views of academics and experts because they live in a nice area and are not "real". It is very worrying.
I have in past jobs and life known people on both sides . I knew someone personally that got a six stretch and spent all day playing pool , x box , watching TV for the first two year's and got every weekend out in year three and then out for good behaviour. Not exactly a deterrent is it.
As I said above lets spend proper money on prisons and change this. It is easy to complain but lets look for some honesty. If we want different regime we have to pay for it.
We have to pay for drug rehabilitation and education, we have to pay for decent wages for screws, we have to give people skills to help them get away from crime. We have to give them books to read and educational opportunities. we have to have proper funding for mental health services inside and out of prison. We also need proper community sentences for lower level crime. Put people to work and make them be seen to be working ( i would put them in a humiliating pink high viz with the words CRIMINAL & PAYBACK stamped on the back) but we have to be honest that all this costs money. Do YOU want to pay for it?
PS many lags I have met lack even basic reading, writing and numeracy skills and we should be sorting that out if someone is locked up all day! That isnt been a limp wristed pinko liberal - it is about getting the system to work and trying to reduce crime