Is it time to reform Britain’s jails?

So I was watching a documentary the other week that claimed to get exclusive access to a few of Britain’s prisons and life inside them. It occurred to me that we are far to soft on criminals and being locked up is simply no real deterrent for them. So what is the point? It costs a fortune to keep someone locked up and would actually be cheaper to house them in civvy street in most cases.

Put them to work I say on government projects, our roads constantly need repair they could be useful doing that and similar things. As far as them escaping is concerned and armed guard would be sent out with them, they could use rubber bullets or some other weapon rather than lethal force.

My aim and I’m sure the aim of every other law abiding citizen is to see them reformed.
To do that there needs to be a real deterrent for crime. I know circumstances and bad life situations lead some to crime where they otherwise wouldn’t. But individuals can be assessed as they currently are on their behaviour and willingness to reform.

The fact is that many of the idiots behind bars act like they are owed something, they abuse officers at any opportunity and the officers are powerless to do anything other than attempt to restrain them. We are to soft on these types of thugs who frankly should be given a good hiding. Or whatever punishment they dislike the most. That’s the whole point of the penal system to punish the convicts, yet many see it as a walk in the park, or better than life on the outside. They fear other inmates far more than any officers or the system that has put them there.

That is wrong, my approach would be twofold, on the one hand reform the law so the punishment does in fact reflect the crime and at the same time make those punishments severe enough so as to be a real deterrent. On the other hand offer prisoners the chance to develop skills and the ability to look after themselves in the real world without resorting to crime.

Clearly those who refuse help and who are unwilling to reform deserve the kind of punishment that will change their attitudes.

a reply to: surfer_soul

Do you mean Gaols ?

a reply to: alldaylong

I mean whatever system works, if it’s a return to a Victorian style system then so be it.

I’m not actually in favour of bringing back the death sentence though. Seen as it’s something we are all sentenced to sooner or later and there are those that kill them selves while behind bars anyway. There are some that really don’t deserve or can’t cope with being locked up and there are those that do and aren’t. So we need to reform the law for one thing. We also need to understand the psychology of inmates and potential inmates better. Prevention is better than cure.

a reply to: surfer_soul

Remember working with a guy who'd been in Shrewsbury Prison................... He said it was a great place and couldn't wait to get back inside, called it a "holiday camp" lol! Food and accommodation laid on for free drugs available too. You probably have a very good point Surfer Soul

Prison should be for the people who are a real danger to society, the people that would not be safe walking the streets.

The problem I don’t think is the prisons but rather the justice system that gives someone 8 year (5 with good behaviour) for attempted murder. We need longer sentences for the most serious of crimes as a strong deterrent and stop this nonsense of sending wee mentally Davy down to the clink for a couple of weeks for stealing a mars bar.

Also prison should be prosion not these holiday camps with sky sports, all the internet porn you want and a PlayStation with little trips home now and then. No it should be a place you don’t want to go to, a place where you don’t get all these little treats but where get 3 meals a day, hard work, eduction, and a nice slap to the face of you step out of line, perhaps the occasional run in with big Toney in the shower room.

too many jails are just full of poor folk with drug addictions and mental illnesses or who get sent down for petty crimes.

a reply to: OtherSideOfTheCoin

I’d agree and these petty criminals with drug problems or other issues once thrown in jail end up in viscous circle if they aren’t careful, mixing with violent and long term offenders. Then again rehab costs a fortune too, apart from legalising all drugs I don’t see an easy solution there.

The justice system is in need of reform more so than the prisons too, one example off the top of my head is it was reported in the local newspaper people that had been convicted for driving without insurance, the fines the court issued them with were less than any annual insurance premium. How is that any kind of deterrent? If anything it makes more sense to risk getting caught without insurance.

Meanwhile the insurance companies pass on the cost of claims they recover on to the general public by hiking up all our insurance premiums.

A petty example maybe but you get the point.

a reply to: surfer_soul

It really depend's upon the crime, to my mind we simply do not have enough decent prison's.
They SHOULD go back to the way they were ran in the past but with smaller cell's and prisoners locked up in them 20 hours a day except for exercise in the yard.
But only for serious and/or unruly or repeat criminal's.
The prison system should have several tiers of punishment, softer approach for first time offenders and more money put into reform education of such prisoners, repeat offenders should be psychologically and neurologically analysed to check for medical causes behind there behavior and if found they should then receive the correct treatment.
Remember though what drives people to crime in the first place is often poverty and exposure to deprived areas as well as gangland culture and this has to be dealt with by having a PROPER government not a bunch of self interested twerp's and hypocrites - in fact I strongly urge my opinion on you that if we knew half of what those politician's had gotten up to we would most likely have lynched them ages ago.

Of note while the isle of man still had birching they had very few repeat offenders visit there island - though the street of shark's as it is colloquially known is full of serial criminal's - in the form of bent legal and investment firm's.

originally posted by: surfer_soul
Clearly those who refuse help and who are unwilling to reform deserve the kind of punishment that will change their attitudes.

I guess you could ship your criminals to Australia.

Each should Stay in a small cell on his own!
If they do ANY thing bad in jail,
they Never get out of it 24 hours for one week or more.
even if they just give a bad look.
It is NOT a holiday camp! or riot camp.
they can listen to a radio in cell.