I agree with some of you, and not with others !!

I don't think that putting them in the Army would be a good idea ; I believe that Scottish regiments have , in the past, taken the worst of " the sweepings of Barlinnie (or wherever) prison" and inducted them into the Black Watch or the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders with predictably disastrous results ; the Army certainly wouldn't want them today !!

          The word that most of you seem to be avoiding here is PUNISHMENT ; who cares whether or not prison "works" ?? It is not supposed to "work" , for God's sake , it is a Punishment for wrong- doing !! Alright, it might, hopefully , act as a deterrent for a few people , but for the majority ,with their "softly softly " treatment , easy access to hard drugs ,mobile 'phones , pornography ,social workers and other assorted "doers-good " and bleeding-heart Liberals , it will never be a proper "deterrent" per se.
                So let's put the capital "P" back into Punishment , lock these bastards up, subject them to rigourous re-education as to their responsibilities as members of a civilised society ,and tell them that if they EVER re-offend, then they can expect a sentence of at least ten years . And charge all the ones responsible for torching shops etc , where people were living in flats above them, with ATTEMPTED MURDER !!