Letter: Cynicism and hypocrisy over Bryn Melyn's 'failure'

Sir: One young offender is taken on a 'character-building' visit to Africa; on return to Britain he is arrested and there is an immediate clamour to abolish such visits. Thousands of young offenders are regularly subjected to 'character- building' visits to prison, and large numbers of them re-offend on release. However, there is no similar clamour for the abolition of prisons. Instead, the young offenders are sent back for another bout of officially approved 'character-building'. Isn't there something odd about this?

Yours faithfully,

ANDREW BELSEY

Cardiff

29 December