No political slogan has gained more resonance than \'tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime.\' Tony Blair used it to reassure voters that a Labour government would take concerns about crime seriously. In spite of this, modern Briatain is one to the most crime-infested countries in the developed world. Part of the problem is the refusal to admit the seriousness of the situation, Officials talk of an \'exaggerated fear of crime.\' Crime is said to be coming down, according to the British Crime Survey. But the BCS only begain in 1981, when crime was at historically high levels. Furthermore, the BCS recordss only some crimes - less than half - with the significant omissions. This report shows that the government is failing to get even the most basic things right. Prison should get offenders off drugs and teach them a voctional skill. Most prisoners have a drugs problem and find that they can feed their habit while inside. A lot of money is spent on education, but thousands of offenders leave prison witout a workplace skill. Money is being wasted on rehabilitation schemes that have failed to reduce offending. There is an unwillingness to recognise either the deterrent effect of prison or its simple incapacitation effect - criminals don\'t commit crimes while locked up.