A form of rescue

I am guessing that Philip Dashfield (letters, Nov 22) did not grow up in a working class neighbourhood where we boys formed gangs and a leader of our pack (remember the song?) emerged.

If Jimmy went bad we followed and it was not until Jimmy’s influence was removed, either by the authorities or by him or us moving towns, that the rest of us breathed a huge sigh of relief and began to build a constructive life.

Boot camps may be punitive to our Jimmys but they free the vast majority of us to move on.

Derek Bealing, Kelburn