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Problems with Prisons

TheCatWoman

Or rather the number of prisoners, I guess we're all familiar by now with the case of two young men convicted of the manslaughter of a police officer being released early. I get the government's in a horrible situation with the prospect of running out of prison places, but to many violent offenders will be released, not just those convicted of manslaughter, but those convicted of domestic violence and sexual offences, OK the grooming gangs and child rapists will stay inside, but how will the rest of us feel safe?

I think there must be better solutiions than prison, house arrest, comunity punishments somethings that other countries seem to do without problems. I think prison should really be for violent offenders and serious big time offenders. This would practically empty womens prisons, the majority of women in prisons aren't violent offenders.

But anthother problem society doesn't seem willing to face is why so many men are in prison for violent offences? I'm sure some of it is because we now recognise as crime many of the things previous generations frowned upon but didn't criminalise, like domestic violence and many sexual offences too. I think it's easy to say its all youths and young men being violent to eachother, but that's not the whole story, many of these people will have been imprisoned for things like violence against women and girls and this has always been a problem. I'm old enough to remember the first womens refuge opening in the 1970's and the outrage in the media and elsewhere it caused, the very idea that not only were men systematically abusing their wives, but that a woman had set up a safe house for victims and thier children and were not allowing men inside against the prevailing attitude that a man had the right to see his wife and children and tell them where to live. This is a society wide problem, we've just had another case of the Met Police and CPS failing to keep a man locked up who then went to rape and kill other women, 

What changes would you recomend to change attitudes to prison, crime and punishment, restitution, justice and the way that society treats certain groups, how do we change attitudes in insistutions like the police and military as well as in wider society?

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  • I really don't know what the solutions are but I certainly think there are a lot of issues with prisons. Now I start off by saying that I do not for a second think that all men in prison are violent and it isn't only men that are in prison but I'm going to stick with violent men to begin with. Putting a lot of violent men in the same environment is very unlikely to solve the problem of violence. I've never been in a prison so it is difficult to know exactly what it is like but they don't seem like particularly positive environments. People find ways to survive and gangs and hierarchy's seem to be a common part of this. I think it's fairly well known that prisons are not drug and alcohol free as they should be and this exacerbates the problem. It also means you have young lads going into prisons for petty crimes and actually coming out more criminalised than they started off. 

    Prisons are also nothing like the real world. Now absolutely, it's meant to be a punishment, they shouldn't be living a life of luxury. But the statistics of reoffending are high and many prisoners have spoken out about how life on the inside was easier than life on the outside. They were told exactly when to do things. They didn't have to make many choices. Food was provided. Etc.

    I think one of the biggest things is looking at how we categorise crimes and sentence people and I do believe the reason for committing a crime is part of this. A person stealing a loaf of bread to feed their hungry children is very different from someone stealing to take money. Someone committing a violent crime because they were a victim is very different to someone committing a crime because they are an aggressive person. I do believe that sometimes what people need is support to manage their problems, not being locked up. I've just started reading a book, now obviously it's fiction but it's about a man who lost his job, struggled with anxiety and ended up addicted to alcohol and prescription medication. Due to this there was a tragic accident in which he accidentally ran over his toddler son. He was then imprisoned for man slaughter. He hadn't intended that act. Yes his actions in the lead up were to blame but what he really needed was support with his addictions and anxiety, not to be locked up with actual criminals. There are many stories like that out there.

    I think a lot more needs to be done to support people before crimes are committed. A lot of prisoners have conditions such as ADHD and a huge number are illiterate, meaning they struggle to access daily life and work. And a heck of a lot more needs to be done to support prisoners leaving prison to reduce the statistics of reoffending. It is problematic that although there is a place for things like DBS checks, it makes it very difficult for someone that has offended to do simple things to improve their life like get a job which leads to further crime. I don't know what rehabilitation is done in prisons but it certainly isn't enough or the current system doesn't appear to be working.

    Now as for the issue of violent men. Why are they violent? It's an interesting question, as you've pointed out, it goes back generations. Testosterone plays it's part. But not all men are violent so what causes such a high number of them to be? Is it their life experiences, the way they grew up etc? I don't know the answer to that question. But I think a lot more work needs to be done to a) understand why violence is such a problem and so prevalent in men and b) with boys before they grow up to be violent men. I don't think things like football help. I like sport and I enjoy watching football but violence is made acceptable in it in such a bizarre way which doesn't send a great message to young boys watching it.

    I do agree with you that it is a concern that a high number of people will be released including those guilty of violent crimes from a system that clearly isn't working to rehabilitate people as it is and putting them back into a world that they are not prepared to be in. As with so many things, the whole system needs an overhaul and a new one needs to be set up. But the what's and the hows, I don't know the answers to.

Reply

  • I really don't know what the solutions are but I certainly think there are a lot of issues with prisons. Now I start off by saying that I do not for a second think that all men in prison are violent and it isn't only men that are in prison but I'm going to stick with violent men to begin with. Putting a lot of violent men in the same environment is very unlikely to solve the problem of violence. I've never been in a prison so it is difficult to know exactly what it is like but they don't seem like particularly positive environments. People find ways to survive and gangs and hierarchy's seem to be a common part of this. I think it's fairly well known that prisons are not drug and alcohol free as they should be and this exacerbates the problem. It also means you have young lads going into prisons for petty crimes and actually coming out more criminalised than they started off. 

    Prisons are also nothing like the real world. Now absolutely, it's meant to be a punishment, they shouldn't be living a life of luxury. But the statistics of reoffending are high and many prisoners have spoken out about how life on the inside was easier than life on the outside. They were told exactly when to do things. They didn't have to make many choices. Food was provided. Etc.

    I think one of the biggest things is looking at how we categorise crimes and sentence people and I do believe the reason for committing a crime is part of this. A person stealing a loaf of bread to feed their hungry children is very different from someone stealing to take money. Someone committing a violent crime because they were a victim is very different to someone committing a crime because they are an aggressive person. I do believe that sometimes what people need is support to manage their problems, not being locked up. I've just started reading a book, now obviously it's fiction but it's about a man who lost his job, struggled with anxiety and ended up addicted to alcohol and prescription medication. Due to this there was a tragic accident in which he accidentally ran over his toddler son. He was then imprisoned for man slaughter. He hadn't intended that act. Yes his actions in the lead up were to blame but what he really needed was support with his addictions and anxiety, not to be locked up with actual criminals. There are many stories like that out there.

    I think a lot more needs to be done to support people before crimes are committed. A lot of prisoners have conditions such as ADHD and a huge number are illiterate, meaning they struggle to access daily life and work. And a heck of a lot more needs to be done to support prisoners leaving prison to reduce the statistics of reoffending. It is problematic that although there is a place for things like DBS checks, it makes it very difficult for someone that has offended to do simple things to improve their life like get a job which leads to further crime. I don't know what rehabilitation is done in prisons but it certainly isn't enough or the current system doesn't appear to be working.

    Now as for the issue of violent men. Why are they violent? It's an interesting question, as you've pointed out, it goes back generations. Testosterone plays it's part. But not all men are violent so what causes such a high number of them to be? Is it their life experiences, the way they grew up etc? I don't know the answer to that question. But I think a lot more work needs to be done to a) understand why violence is such a problem and so prevalent in men and b) with boys before they grow up to be violent men. I don't think things like football help. I like sport and I enjoy watching football but violence is made acceptable in it in such a bizarre way which doesn't send a great message to young boys watching it.

    I do agree with you that it is a concern that a high number of people will be released including those guilty of violent crimes from a system that clearly isn't working to rehabilitate people as it is and putting them back into a world that they are not prepared to be in. As with so many things, the whole system needs an overhaul and a new one needs to be set up. But the what's and the hows, I don't know the answers to.

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