London: Should criminals be banned from public spaces instead of going to prison?

We ask Londoners about the issue of overcrowding and alternative punishment.

Transcript

00:00I think it has to be very specific, so I think it depends on what the criminal's crime was.

00:04I think it depends on what process they're at, so if they've already been convicted,

00:07if that's the determination, following that conviction,

00:09they are a menace to those specific areas, that's fine,

00:13but I think if their crime relates to areas that have absolutely no relation to those specific environments,

00:17it kind of feels a bit redundant.

00:19Shoplifting, also that feels like a wrap on the knuckles,

00:23but I wouldn't send someone to prison because I understand overcrowding's a thing.

00:26I guess it would depend what they've done, really,

00:29and whether they're serial offenders.

00:32So to class everyone and say, if you're a thief, you can't then go to pubs and wherever else,

00:37or perhaps you're stealing outside of schools,

00:39but I think it just has to be really specific if that's going to be an idea.

00:42I think it also has to not be related to the costs,

00:44so if the idea of not sending a prisoner is to reduce costs,

00:46I think that then is probably a redundant method,

00:48because the idea is to take criminals off the street, not just to reduce costs,

00:51but I think if it's actually to prevent further crime, I think that's the better method.

00:54I think understanding the methodology behind it would make more sense.