THE Archbishop of Canterbury used an address at Worcester Cathedral to launch a stinging attack on Britain's penal system.

In a lecture on justice and order in society, Dr Rowan Williams said we should be worried about the system and said privately-run prisons were "fraught with problems".

Hundreds of people packed the Cathedral yesterday morning to hear Dr Williams' speech, on his first visit to the city since his appointment as archbishop in 2002.

Dr Williams also criticised jails for being overcrowded and the lack of care for offenders' families, saying the mark of a civilised society was how prisoners were treated.

He added: "The penal system is something we should be worried about.

"Our system of justice in this country has drifted into directions very few of us are happy with.

"Justice is about whether or not we can trust someone not to undermine our interests by promoting theirs."

The spiritual leader of the Church of England said there needed to be more investment in restorative justice and said brutality in prison should not be seen as part of the punishment.

Dr Williams said there was a lack of morale and professionalism among staff in the prison service, which was a "recipe for an unjust, untrustworthy system".

The audience also heard the archbishop's views on the increasing number of prisons funded privately.

He said all trust in justice would be lost if people were motivated by private interests or wanted to make a political point.

He added: "Franchising and private prisons seem to be fraught with problems.

"I've seen some private prisons which get good results but there is a question of principle which we must not indefinitely shirk."

Juliet Lyon, director of the Prison Reform Trust and a speaker at the lecture, said: "The archbishop's reflections on a just society come at a critical time, as the prison population breaks all previous records, conditions deteriorate and reconviction rates soar.

The Prison Reform Trust welcomes this call for a considered public debate on the uses and abuses of imprisonment."

The Bishop of Worcester, the Right Rev Dr Peter Selby, who is also bishop to HM Prisons, said: "When crime and punishment are so often talked about in terms of headlines and simple solutions, it was enormously inspiring to hear the archbishop give us a wider vision of justice from the standpoint of faith."