Tailoring sentences to the lack of prison places

Doodledog

Good point. I'm (obviously!) not a criminologist

I just think that prisons aren't suitable for all offenders, and that they can cause more problems than they solve.

I'm not a criminologist either but have a young relative locked in this dreadful cycle. Hence my absence of sympathy for drug dealers avoiding proper punishment.

Mind you prisons are a drug dealer's paradise - they have a captive market and staff are apparently helpless to stop the drugs getting in.

As if it wasn’t bad enough that we poached trained workers from all over the world therefore affecting the skilled population in poorer countries we are now recruiting Prison Officers from Nigeria and Ghana.

jobs.justice.gov.uk/careers/JobDetail/United-Kingdom-of-Great-Britain-and-Northern-Ireland-16919-First-Time-Prison-Officer-Recruitment-Scheme-Long-Term-High-Security-Estate/16919

Good point. I'm (obviously!) not a criminologist

I just think that prisons aren't suitable for all offenders, and that they can cause more problems than they solve.

The trouble is that this sort of hostel attracts the drug dealers.

Many prisoners are discharged to just this sort of hostel scenario for lack of other options and they just become drug dens.

I think the answer is to look at what sort of crimes warrant prison sentences, and increase the number of community service punishments for those who are not a danger to the public.

Used imaginatively, they could make some criminals more employable and reduce recidivism, and plug gaps in public services such as painting over graffiti or planting parks and gardens. They needn't be an 'easy option' - there could be supervised hostels for participants to sleep in, or they could be combined with tags and curfews for those who stay at home.

The problem would be that useful community work could take jobs from non-criminals, so that would have to be taken into consideration, but there is probably no need for non-violent criminals to be in jail.

I read that the other day that a new prison is being built in Buckinghamshire - I’ve forgotten the name, but it will house 1500 prisoners, so quite an increase in total prison estate. Not sure when it will open though.

It is concerning.