I WAS astonished to read that an East Ayrshire sheriff felt he would be "failing in his duty" if he did not "impose a custodial sentence" of 21 days on a young man of ostensibly "good character" who failed to show up for his second day of jury service ("Juror jailed for lying to avoid court service", The Herald, November 18).

True, this is the kind of offence where a sentencer needs to signal to other members of society the price for casual contempt of court, but a lengthy stint of unpaid work would be a more appropriate way of showing a recalcitrant juror that if he will not serve the community in one way he will finish up serving it in another.

Protecting society from young men of good character who make ill-judged decisions about their responsibilities as citizens is not what prison is for. I would be failing in my duty if I did not point out this shrieval excess.

Mike Nellis,

Emeritus Professor of Criminal and Community Justice,

University of Strathclyde School of Law, Graham Hills Building Level 7,

50 George Street, Glasgow.