Certainly,VHG, the most effective sentence for a first-timer is a short one . The old Stipendiary Magistrates in London were very fond of remanding a man in custody, for no valid reason at all, save one, between hearings. The one valid reason was that being in jail was such a shock to him, that the prospect of going to jail for longer than the three weeks he was remanded seemed horrifying. That was a deterrent; particularly so for young offenders who'd be detained in Ashford and locked up 23 hours of 24 on remand. Nobody told the defendants that being on a regular sentence was easier; more exercise, more chance of privileges etc; but even the first regular sentence was deterrent if short. After a few months the prisoner adjusts and career criminals simply regard jail as a hazard of their profession, which they tolerate before returning to work.