Scottish Government's new policy on tackling knife crime is an idiotic waste of money.

The Scottish Government's new policy specifies that anyone carrying a knife will automatically go to jail for 1-4 years:
1) This does not address social factors that create knife crime.
2) This insane policy will cost £40,000+ per offender, per year (up to £160,000)
(http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/jul/28/justice.prisonsandprobation)
For that kind of money they could be tackling the social factors that create the conditions for knife crime.
3) This will put impressionable youngsters behind bars where they will be exposed to the company of hardened violent criminals to learn bad habits and make contacts before going back out into society. It will not work to rehabilitate the offenders at all.
4) Jail is not a deterrant to knife crime (http://www.channel4.com/news/a​uthorities-not-doing-enough-to​-prevent-more-knife-deaths)
5) This is knee jerk posturing which no one will oppose because the don't want to look soft on crime. The policy is intellectually bankrupt and creates more problems than it solves.

I emailed my MSP for all the good it will do,
You can do the same: www.writetothem.com