Letter: Prison a waste

Kenny MacAskill is quite right in his assessment that short prison sentences don't work and simply encourage and allow offenders to treat prison gates as revolving doors (your report, 26 January).

The problem with the proposed solution to allow offenders to undertake much needed work in the local community is one of lack of funding to allow supervision and control of these offenders by social workers who are struggling to meet performance targets in child care and other essential functions.

Unless considerable funds are made available (in the present economic climate this is very unlikely) these proposals will go nowhere as local authorities are in turmoil deciding how reduced budgets are to be allocated to keep essential services running.

Dennis Grattan

Mugiemoss Road

Aberdeen