I agree with you Steve. But the Probation Service needs a bit of an overhaul too. In my (admittedly not vast) experience, they often fail newly-released prisoners, and the Probation Officers I came across were fairly disinterested and unhelpful.

I think what you're saying is that different types of crime require different solutions/punishments, and I concur with that. Some petty crimes could be rectified by a more professional approach during the sentence and upon release. I knew a Bail Hostel in Norwich ( for newly-released inmates) which was rather inadequate, and the Warden was an absolute twit, unskilled, untrained, stroppy and over-opinionated.

But the dangerous, serious and murderous types should hardly ever warrant release, unless one can be very sure they won't re-offend, a condition hardly possible to fulfil.

Releasing a chap who needed enormous amounts of surveillance was, as you say, crazy and indefensible.