Increased prison sentences as a deterrent for crime are part of the political agenda in Britain. Our prison population has rapidly grown. Here is a view from the USA . . .
How do we evaluate the present systems of criminal justice in modern societies? Most modern societies use imprisonment as the primary form of punishment for crime.
We should distinguish carefully between using prison for punishment and using it as a means of custody before trial. The use of some form of custody until the time of trial is attested in the Bible itself (Leviticus 24.12, Acts 21.34 and 23.35). Sometimes no reasonable alternative is available. In such cases, the temporary use of a prison is surely legitimate. To prevent this practice becoming an unacknowledged or unintentional form of punishment, authorities have an obligation to work for practices that promote speedy trial. In addition, the provision for bail works in favour of preventing unjust punishment in the form of confinement.
