Prison sentences of less than one year are a waste of government resources and should be abolished, says the Prison Governors’ Association in the United Kingdom. The problem with such short jail terms is that they don’t reform criminals, but they do add to prison overcrowding. Last year, more than 60% of the 100,348 criminals sentenced were given terms of 12 months or less. The convictions ranged from shoplifting to burglary to child abuse. Instead of spending time behind bars, convicts should be subject to “community punishments.”