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Ignoring the political rhetoric
This country spends far more on building and maintaining a prison population (still growing) which is the highest in the western world outside the USA-including some PFI type arrangements -in a climate where we are told crime is falling - than any savings it would make under any legal aid reforms, whether these were accepted by the profession or not

All the research done over the last 40 years suggests prison does not work - community sentences and 'softer' options are more effective in deterrence and rehabilitation

Common sense says if saving lots of money is your thing and the rationale for doing anything then reforming and paring down the expensive prison system should be a priority