>But the U.S. already has one of the punitive criminal justice systems in the western world and there doesn't seem to be much evidence to show that it results in a lessening of violent crime?
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>I don't see tougher sentencing being a deterrent to the mentally unbalanced, people who kill in a 'fit of rage', or accidental killings. That only leaves those who use a gun for pre-planned criminal attacks - do you think tougher laws would radically change their behaviour? Would they stop carrying guns? Or carry but have no intention of using?

I don't agree with the punitive punishment style Charles is advocating to effectively break people. But I do agree that violent criminals should be removed from society for a very long time.

I don't think custodial sentencing should be used at all for most crimes. We would have a much smaller prison population of mainly very long term inmates. Son of a friend is a prison officer and one of his complaints is that short prison sentences don't give you long enough to work with the criminal on changing their behaviour.