Should criminals' jail sentences be lengthened?

Sentences here can be a joke. There are far too many liberal judges who believe in rehabilitation for all when it would be far safer for the populace of this country if some of these evil bastards, who have no compunction in damaging and killing were put away for life. There is no deterrent here, therefore people commit serious crimes with impunity.

I'm not sure what the OP means here.

Is the question should ALL prison sentences be longer?

Judges don't make the sentences, they only impose them for whatever charge has been proved. Most, if not all, convictions come with a minimum and maximum sentence. A judge has to adhere to this. If you want to complain about lax sentencing, see your MP.

Thank you, although they do have to use their discretion or else what's the point of having a judge in the first place. If the minimum and maximum sentences that apply today are the best we can do then we've got a problem, don't you think?

I think that sometimes! What always amazes me are the cases you see in local papers up and down the country where the guilty person seems to get an awful lenient sentence, whan he/she already has 54 previous convictions. And on the same page, a first offender has a harsher sentence for the same conviction! It's almost like the law has given up on repeat offence.

I haven't read the OP, but here's my answer to the question in the title: if prison is actually doing criminals any good in terms of rehabilitation, maybe it's worth keeping them there for as long as it takes to recondition them. If, on the other hand, prison is just society's dustbin, then leaving criminals there for a long time will just institutionalise them and they'll re-offend just to be able to get back in.

And what would happen to me if I apprehended a burglar in my house and belted him with a fire iron, to protect my kids? I'd get done and he would have social workers all over him like a rash to explain why his deprived childhood had led him to commit crimes in the first place. Well, aren't I amused?

How do you know that would happen?

I agree, there was a local case here last week where a Mother smothered her 3 year old daughter, she was sentenced to life and told she must serve at least 8 years, since when has life been just 8 years long? Its just makes the sentence a bit of a joke really.

A good point Karma_Junkie ! Lenient sentencing makes a total mockery of the law. There are maximum sentence criteria set down here in Australia too. We have been talking about murder, but I intended to cover all senteces. But talking about murder, the sentence is 20 years and 25 years for the murder of a police officer. Hardly anybody here serves anywhere near that amoung of time.