California's Crowded prisons

Some rare sane thoughts on US prison policy: it doesnt work, its too expensive and it actually violates the few human rights the US allows prisoners and aliens. California's own court orders the State to reduce the prison population by 55,000 or one third.
The UK Home Office continues slavishly to imitate US models, most of which even the US recognises have failed. Maybe one year we might have some ideas of our own! Well, of course, UK academics and even its own researchers have been telling the Home Office its got it wrong for years..Jack Straw and the Ministry of Justice? same old, same old.