Dhaka University Professor Emeritus Serajul Islam Choudhury yesterday said crime cannot be eradicated through punishment alone; rather, society must address the social and economic conditions that drive people towards crime. He also said Bangladesh’s prison system has changed little since the British colonial era, with corruption and oppression still deeply entrenched. “The prison system has not improved; it has deteriorated. Calling for fundamental reforms to the criminal justice system, Prof Choudhury said people are not born criminals but are shaped by circumstances -- poverty, deprivation, and oppression. We must build a society without private ownership, where collective ownership prevails,” Prof Choudhury said.