WHEN the do-gooders say that sending a criminal to prison is useless they are right - for all the wrong reasons. Our prison system is clearly breaking down. Justice is being turned into poison (Amos 5:7).

If we really intend to restore a genuine penal system, we should return to God's law. Crime and criminals can be classified as follows:

Firstly, capital crimes: murder, rape, drug dealing etc. These, the Divine Law tells us, must be punished with death (Genesis 9:6 and other texts).

Secondly, crimes of violence. Here the Holy Bible commands the Lex Talionis, let the punishment fit the crime (Exodus 21:24,25,26). Anyone who inflicts pain and violence upon someone else must suffer the same pain and violence themselves. This would mean the re-introduction of flogging - the "Cat" and the birch (Deuteronomy 25: 2,3).

Thirdly, property crime, theft, vandalism etc. Here God, in his wisdom, has ordained for us the principle of restitution or compensation, up to five times the value of the objects stolen or damaged. What happens if the thief or vandal cannot pay? Then the Bible tells us, they "shall be sold for his theft" (Exodus 22: 3).

The criminal would be sold to a state labour camp or private industry and the victim compensated from the proceeds of the sale.

Until quite recently, British law contained a system of penal servitude, under which the criminals' goods became forfeit and the criminal as "slave of the crown".

The honest taxpayer should be freed from the burden of maintaining expensive and useless prisons.

Only a few holding centres are necessary for those awaiting trial.

Christians pray daily "They will be done" so let's do it and return to God's law.

A MASON (Mrs), Church of Britain, PO Box 12, Blackburn.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.