SIR – Nick Timothy (Comment, March 29) is correct in saying that our whole criminal justice system is flawed, but he misses one vital point: the need for retribution.
Today, retribution is regarded as unacceptable, with rehabilitation the sine qua non, but any justice system that ignores this requirement loses public support.
Our primitive ancestors understood this. Crime hurts, and the hurt is doubled if victims see the guilty free and laughing while their pain persists. But personal vengeance creates vicious cycles and destroys communities. Our ancestors therefore took from the individual the right to pursue their own justice in return for a contract from the community that it would avenge...