Lee of Windsor is just one more sad person who "jus't don't get it". Anyone can be in the wrong place at the wrong time, or just know the wrong people and find themslef in the very abuse prison system. Prison is meant to isolate, yes. But not to brualtise those who can be reformed.

Tom McGuire, Castellon, Spain

Graham, Southport. Please! Most child murderers are the parents or drunk drivers. You have bought into the urban legend of the Stranger. And keep in mind that paedophilia is not a crime. The action is the crime, not the mental problem.

The Mark of Cain
Spain

Tom McGuire, Castellon, Spain

More namby pamby nonsense. If you want to make a prison a deterrent it should be so vile as no one of even a criminal mind would dare be imprisoned. Build ten of these and watch the crime rate drop. There are plenty of rocks off the coast of Scotland just waiting to become GB Alcatraz. Blair first.

jdpriddle, Bath,

Frankly, I could give a damn about offenders' human rights. They should have thought of that before committing the crime . All I know is that dangerous criminals need to be taken out of society so that law-abiding, decent citizens can sleep soundly in their beds, and walk the streets safely.

Nicholas Lee, Windsor, UK

People commit crime because of poor socialisation, abuse, discrimination and marginalisation. Each and everyone of us could become criminals given the right environmental factors. We need to start reforming society and prisons to reduce criminality not lock everyone up!!

Mark Walters, London,

anthony Graham (sic). Dr Dalrymple is a well-respected international commentator on social issues who uses his vast experience and insight to make telling, insightful observations. You would do well to read more of his material before rushing into print. He is the antithesis of a "do-gooder".

Dan , Waterford, Ireland

Theodore Dalrymple states,"The main purpose of prison is to keep wrongdoers off the streets for as long as necessary" - no mention of rehabilitation? I would also have expected him, as a former prison doctor, to have touched on additional concerns for mentally ill inmates in such establishments.

Judi Martin, Maryculter, Aberdeenshire

J Baker, Dr Dalrymple is very well-qualified to comment on prisons, having spent most of his life dealing with prisoners. You wrong too about the main purpose of prison. It is confinement, nothing more. Deterrence is at best a by-product. You are naive indeed to think prisons rehabilitate offenders.

cat osb, Surrey,

len perth australia. could'nt not agree with you more. there are lots of cases in which physical punishment would be more appropriate than putting someone in prison or could be combined with a reduced prison term with only the 'hard core' being put in jail.generally thugs dont like physical pain.

stephen baron, leith, tasmania

Brutalise? You mean like these people did to their victims?? Good. Make the prisons even larger - who cares, so long as they cannot inflict more pain on society. Being nice to these people is what encourages them to continue brutalising society. Get real.

kr, cap ferrat, France

More sickening doo-goodery from a misguided altruist doctor.
There should be 'underground' prisons for the most violent,pederasts,child killers etc.
And give them the option of euthanasia-and do us all a big favour.

antony Graham, southport, England

As ever, Dr. Dalrymple cuts to the heart of the matter. The challenge we face is to behave justly towards both society and offenders. Society deserves better protection from offenders, through longer sentences. However, brutalising offenders with vast institutions only heightens the eventual problem

Oliver, London, UK

Len, Perth, Australia: Singapore is also easier to control considering it is simply a city with a popultion that is less than half the size of London. What works here will not work in England.

Rob, Singapore,

Rather than penal gigantism why not adopt the Singapore strategy where they are actually going to close at least one prison because they do not have enough criminals. The laws there, including caning are very strict, much stricter than Australia or the UK where the damp feather seems to be the way.

Len, Perth, Australia

Is it not obvious to everyone that to escape any prison "brutality" is simply to obey the law. No one today is put in prison because they are debtors, are poor, or disadvantaged. They are put in prison for criminal conduct that violate the laws of society. Those prisons are also a deterrent.

Bob Evans, Anaheim, California

The main purpose of prison is not "to keep wrongdoers off the streets for as long as necessary" but to provide a deterent against crime, protect the public and rehabilitate offenders. A prison doctor is no more qualified to comment on such matters than a prison janitor.

J Baker, Singapore, Singapore

Kiran Bedi introduced Vipassana meditation into Delhi's notorious 10,000-inmate gaol, with courses of up to 1000 inmates, and tremendous results. Such moves which can change entrenched anti-social habit patterns are key, whatever the scale of the prison, and have shown benefits in several countries.

Faustino, Brisbane, Australia