ON Radio 4’s The Week’s Good Cause a no doubt well-meaning chap was appealing for donations to help in the education of prisoners. He recited the case of an inmate of a prison, let’s call him John, who the broadcaster said would benefit from extra tuition.

He then said such people as them cost the country £40,000 per year to keep in prison.

Hang on I thought, the basic pension from the state is about £4,000 per year.

Is there another country in the western world that values its criminal fraternity more than its OAPs?

No doubt if we have a severe winter there will be reports of elderly people dying from malnutrition and hypothermia. One doesn’t hear of prisoners suffering from similar conditions.

J Armitage

Huddersfield