I do see your point hifimad.......
But, like Borstals, aren't the prisons of today doing exactly the same thing? at least Borstal inmates were all of a certain age and not picking up more bad habits from habitual " old lags".
Also as regards the army, at this point in time they are massively undermanned and have been for some time. During the war "cannon fodder" was made up of prisoners being released from jail to serve in His majesty's armed forces, plus at lot of wrongdoers on the run joined up to avoid prosecution.
Teddy boys {one of my older brothers was one} yes they caused trouble but 99% of the time it was amongst themselves and yes it was troublesome but they didn't break into pensioners houses and beat them half to death, or kill innocent civilians being chased by police cars, or lay all over the streets in a drug crazed stupor.
I was a teenager in the 60's I guess you could say I was a mod, not because I wore that label, but basically because that's how I dressed, I didn't own a motorbike and I couldn't understand why anyone would walk about in leather all day {especially in hot weather}
I guess one might say mine was the 1st generation to "have it all" we had world peace to a certain degree, we had jobs to go to on leaving school, we had money in our pockets, people were buying houses, having telephones installed and if you were really "well off" you had a car, the world was coming on apace, we were living in exciting times.
It wasn't utopia by any stretch but I wouldn't have changed this era for anything.