Yobs in Uniform

[FightingFat]

Home office minister Hazel Blears has called for young offenders to wear uniforms while carrying out community service punishments.

The idea is supposedly a way of ensuring justice is seen to be being done in the battle against the “culture of disrespect”.

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4550755.stm

Is this s good idea? Or are we just making it OK to humiliate prisoners instead of addressing the real reasons they are offending?

 

[urquhart]

Based on my experience as a community corrections officer in the United States. I think it is a good idea, but for a different reason: offenders who are required to carry out community service work usually resent it very much, and even if closely supervised, they will vandalize the work site. In addition, they will often commit whatever crime is their personal predeliction, be it theft, or worse. Uniforms would deter this behavior to some extent, and make the offenders more visible to the unwary.