What is the solution to UK prisons running out of room?

[Delbow]

James Timpson seems a good appointment - a different approach to the 'lock 'em up' brigade, who would have us spending 15% of GDP on prisons.

[peak4]

I came across this earlier, albeit written closer to the election date; I may not always agree with   him on policies, but he does seem genuinely decent and a good commentator.

Requiem for the lotus eaters July 5, 2024 Henry Hill Conservative Home

Perhaps the most telling explanation for why Rishi Sunak made his bizarre decision to call the snap election now is the prisons crisis, and few issues better encapsulate how we have set and primed this political timebomb over the past 14 years.

Since 2010 we have closed 17 prisons. Four of these are currently tourist attractions, as prisons.

One of those, HMP Lancaster, was at the time of closure the second-best performing prison, in terms of recidivism rates, in the entire country.

It was shut for no better reason than that Ken Clarke had wanted to close it in the 1990s, and didn’t think it appropriate to have a jail in a castle.

This programme has been pursued despite the abject failure to build even replacements for the cells we were shutting. The scale of the failure of the prisons programme actually boggles the mind:

“A 2015 commitment to invest “£1.3 billion to create 10,000 new prison places by 2020” has, according to the Public Accounts Committee, produced just 206 (with 3,500 on the way in some form).”

Why was it so difficult? You guessed it: chronic refusal to bulldoze new jails through our insane planning system, and even the sternest of law-and-order Tory MPs shouting their heads off if ever it was proposed to open a new one in their constituency.

 

[mafya]

When prisoners are released after their sentence they are given the equivalent of one weeks unemployment benefit and the authorities know too well that the prisoner will not get any benefit money for at least 2 weeks plus those with nowhere to go are not helped by the council as going to prison is classed as intentionally making yourself homeless.

Prison is used to keep people off the streets but not enough is done to prepare them to lead a law abiding life once released.

Ex prisoners also face hurdles trying to seek employment  so it leads to released prisoners falling back into the life of crime to survive.

The whole system needs a big shake up…

[Al Bundy]

1 hour ago, mafya said:

When prisoners are released after their sentence they are given the equivalent of one weeks unemployment benefit and the authorities know too well that the prisoner will not get any benefit money for at least 2 weeks plus those with nowhere to go are not helped by the council as going to prison is classed as intentionally making yourself homeless.

Prison is used to keep people off the streets but not enough is done to prepare them to lead a law abiding life once released.

Ex prisoners also face hurdles trying to seek employment  so it leads to released prisoners falling back into the life of crime to survive.

The whole system needs a big shake up…

Don't many prisoners get degrees or diploma's whilst in prison to help them find employment when released...all at tax payers cost?

[hackey lad]

Why not end foreign prisoners sentences early and deport them , as was suppose to happen at the end of their sentence .

[mafya]

34 minutes ago, Al Bundy said:

Don't many prisoners get degrees or diploma's whilst in prison to help them find employment when released...all at tax payers cost?

No they don’t, some long term prisoners may study for a degree through the open university.

The prisoners doing short sentences are the ones that are slipping through the system and when released a high percentage of them end up reoffending…

 

[mafya]

15 minutes ago, hackey lad said:

Why not end foreign prisoners sentences early and deport them , as was suppose to happen at the end of their sentence .

That would be a good start, they don’t need to end the sentences early they can send them back to complete their sentences in their own country…

[The_DADDY]

1 minute ago, mafya said:

No they don’t, some long term prisoners may study for a degree through the open university.

The prisoners doing short sentences are the ones that are slipping through the system and when released a high percentage of them end up reoffending…

 

My bold.

What would your solution be? Tbh I've never really considered short term prisoners and their difficulties upon release. 

[mafya]

1 minute ago, The_DADDY said:

My bold.

What would your solution be? Tbh I've never really considered short term prisoners and their difficulties upon release. 

The discharge grant should be 2 weeks of money equivalent to benefit amount till they get benefits.

Those that need accommodation should be helped so that they have somewhere to stay on release if required.

Those who have committed crime for a drug habit need to be put  on a drug rehabilitation course to keep them off drugs.

The govt needs to find employers willing to take on ex offenders to help them lead a law abiding life.

These are just a few suggestions I can think of but in reality it is a lot more complicated and the prison system as it stands is managing the keep the public safe by keeping them off the streets but is lacking in any meaningful steps towards rehabilitation.

I saw a guy I know last month he had been out of prison for a week after doing 6 months for shoplifting etc.

He told me he was going to just commit crime and go back inside as he had nowhere to live and at least inside he would get fed and have somewhere to sleep. Even after I tried talking some sense to him he just said his life was **** and told me to take care before he went on his way.

We as a society also stigmatise ex offenders so imagine how hard it is being ostracised by society?

 

[The_DADDY]

2 minutes ago, mafya said:

The discharge grant should be 2 weeks of money equivalent to benefit amount till they get benefits.

Those that need accommodation should be helped so that they have somewhere to stay on release if required.

Those who have committed crime for a drug habit need to be put  on a drug rehabilitation course to keep them off drugs.

The govt needs to find employers willing to take on ex offenders to help them lead a law abiding life.

These are just a few suggestions I can think of but in reality it is a lot more complicated and the prison system as it stands is managing the keep the public safe by keeping them off the streets but is lacking in any meaningful steps towards rehabilitation.

I saw a guy I know last month he had been out of prison for a week after doing 6 months for shoplifting etc.

He told me he was going to just commit crime and go back inside as he had nowhere to live and at least inside he would get fed and have somewhere to sleep. Even after I tried talking some sense to him he just said his life was **** and told me to take care before he went on his way.

We as a society also stigmatise ex offenders so imagine how hard it is being ostracised by society?

 

My bold 

Id go along with all that.

 

Underlined

That's actually very sad. When prison is the best option for someone to get off the streets then that says a lot about our society.