Does prison work?

Question

Do you believe that the prison sytem works or do you think it should be replaced with something else. If so what?

Answer 1

Depends what you mean by "works".

It does serve to keep some of the most dangerous offenders out of circulation and reduce the risk to the public.

But if you mean, "does prison reduce reoffending?" then the answer if self-evidently "no". What offenders tell me is that prison's frightening the first time you go there, but after that, it's not much of a deterrant. When you come out, you'll have picked up a few more useful skills about more sophisticiated offending techniques, as well as a few more criminal associates. And when you try to reintegrate back into the community, you find that all the things that research shows tend to keep people out of trouble - decent accomodation, a job, a stable relationship - have been lost to you if you ever had them, or are now that much harder to attain because you've been inside.
No wonder so many people become "revolving door" cases.

It costs £37,500 per year to keep someone in prison, and currently the number of prisoners has passed 80,000 (higher than any other country in Europe). Just think how many clinical psychologists could be employed to provide therapy for people with personality disorders or mental health problems (an estimated 72% of the prison population). Or how many drug counsellors, who could address the problems of the vast numbers of prisoners with substance misuse issues. Or how many hostel places in supported housing (32% of offenders in prison had no stable accommodation when they entered custody). Or how many skills for life tutors (about half of offenders have a reading age below that expected for an 11 year old).

All stats are the government's own, published by John Prescott's Social Exclusion Unit. I think that they go to show that although New Labour may be "tough on crime" in terms of locking up more people than ever before, it has yet to become "tough on the causes of crime" in terms of addressing the social issues which lead to offending.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

Usually, no. There is very little rehab in prison. Prisons are a way for criminals to work on getting their bodies stronger. While they lift weights, they can think of ways to plan their next crime when/if they get out.

What should be done to is those who commit crimes is that they should be restrained and gagged to a table where they would be subjected to some type of therapy all day. The reason I say strap them down is because prisons should take EVERYTHING away from inmates. They need to break their will to be bad. By doing so, they would set an example that if you commit the crime you will pay for it. A lot of prisons look like a resort of some kind. They have televisions and workout gyms. They can go outside and enjoy the weather. ALL these luxuries should be taken away. Only then would they want to stay out of prison.

Answer 4

No longer. Since the 60's when soft left wingers infiltrated the civil service. Today many prisons are better than the living conditions of many poorer families. There are many people in prison who have mental problems and should not be there. However we closed down institutions that cared for them to save money. If you commit a crime you have to be punished. We are told most crimes are now in the domain of drug users. Yet they can get drugs in prison. I suppose if the inmates are high its less problem for the staff. Prisons need to be a shock. It needs to be a place that you would never want to return to. 3 strikes and you are out ( Blair promised and failed again) and that is it. A prison sentence should be the time set down 10 years means just that. I expect a number of you PC readers will wish to put me right. However you have had long enough, crime on the increase, ASBO's a joke. Prisons a luxury. No as it is today It will never work.

Answer 5

Prison is just a stemming of the result and not a changing of the cause. As long as prisons remain as they are (not a proven deterrent) the cause will be left unaltered and rife. That is not to say I agree with capital punsihment or abuse of prisoners (as i am a strong believer in human rights maintenance in all areas), however more research and work needs to be done into society into the causes of problems rather than assesing the clearly inadequate solutions. Only after this can we review if prison is the most effective post-crime option. As the saying goes, if you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got!

Answer 6

The rehabilitation side of prison most definitely does not work.
You may get your one or two that are scared sh*tless enough not to do it again(commit crime). But in general, no I do not believe the prison system works.
Therefore the only option left to us is to punish. And punish so severely that there would be no danger of re-offending.
I'm all for the three strikes and out rule.
First offence, normal punishment. Second, definitely prison. Third offence, that's it. Prison is where you will die.

Answer 7

Prison only works for those who want it to. But deterrence have proven not to work because people tend to forget, not feel, or don't think about prison after they have left it-so unfortunately they feel the crime is worth it all over again or they are just sitting in prison thinking of the one mistake they made or how to outsmart the law the next time. Criminals tend to think what they gaining outweighs the consequences(because most of the time they don't think about the consequences).

Answer 8

The only thing that will work is responsible parrenting from birth. The prison system for the most part just compounde the problem by provideing a long term program for the criminaly inclined to learn new techniques and approaches. Our prisons are breeding grounds for criminals.

Answer 9

to be honest i don't think it works in the least. look at the like of pedos where i come from the best of them gets around 4 years but in reality they only serve a year and a half maybe 2 on good behaviour and they are continually in and out of prison. also the like of drug dealers that go inside as soon as they are back on the streets what do they do you guessed it start dealing again. i think the system is a complete joke if you ask me

Answer 10

P.C'S, DO GOODERS ETC........ DONT READ THIS.

No. Prisons dont work FULL STOP.

Q. What do we do?
A. Keep a few prisons for PEOPLE on remand and CRIMINALS awaiting appeal.

For everyone else once found guilty

MINOR OFFENCE (i.e burgury, mugging, drug uses a.s.b.o, car crime, etc.......)

1. Minor offence first time 1 flogging

2.Minor offence second time
2 flogging ie once one week come back next week for same again (if you don't when we catch you, you get executed)

3. Minor offence third and last time,
still not learnt your lesson come back for a floggin five weeks on the run (if you don't when we catch you, you get executed)

4. Minor offence fourth time. If you don't know right from wrong now then theres no point in you being in society EXECUTION

MAJOR OFFENCE (Rape, murder, etc...., NOT PEDOS)

Clear cut cases or guilty plea, found guilty after THREE appeals.

1. Death by execution

PEDOS

Clear cut cases or guilty plea, found guilty after THREE appeals.

1. Death by execution very slowly, very painfuly (victims family have choice of how and have first choice of carrying out in person).

WRONG PERSON FOUND GUILTY!

Unfortunatly in a very few cases this will happen. All we can do is apologise and offer compensation to family, I know this could never replace the person executed wrongly. It is all we can do.

MONEY SAVED.

By doing the above we will save this country billions each year which can be put back into education. If kids have a decent education and know the risk of crime then they should not want to commit crime and do well in school.

CAIN IN SCHOOL

Bring back the cain in school, this should install respect into our kids, get rid of the trouble causing yobs and make our young adults appreciate society.

DONT BELIVE ME?

go back a few years, our socity has declined because of what we have become i.e my gran could go out and leave her door unlocked.

WHY HAVE WE BECOME LIKE THIS?

Because of the P.C brigade and DO GOODERS