"Prison works," declared Michael Howard, then the Conservative home secretary, in 1993-and few politicians from any party have dared to argue with him. As sentences have gradually ratcheted up, England and Wales have acquired the largest prison population in western Europe. The ratio of prisoners to violent crimes is now four times what it was in the mid-1990s. Ken Clarke, another Conservative, tried to reverse the trend; he was roundly attacked (including by Mr Howard, from retirement) and was turfed out of his job in 2012.
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