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The UK has long had a more punitive approach to sentencing than many other European countries with no discernable effect upon crime rates or deterrence. This is mirrored by the creation of more and more criminal offences as a desire by politicians to be seen to be 'doing something' about social problems. Sadly there is no real solution to deterring crime and reducing the prison population than by having effective detection and then addressing the causes of prisoners' offending - which in many cases is lack of skills to enable people to do productive work, and/or mental health issues. This inevitably costs money, though what would be spent would probably be saved in the long run by reducing the cost of imprisoning people time and again. But Home Secretaries are not in it for the long run.