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Treatment of prisoners during lockdown

(104 Posts)
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Luckygirl Sun 31-May-20 19:38:50

You must believe me - every attempt had been made over many years to get the help he needed. One of the mental health services to which he was referred had no staff - just a secretary telling people there were no staff - seriously.

Preventive and supportive care for people with such problems was wiped out by austerity and vulnerable young people are bearing the brunt of this - and society as a whole.

I accept that you do not care - I expected as much from some - but if we cease caring then the problem will continue and we are all diminished.

There is no question that the majority of prisoners have mental health problems and are in the wrong place. The prison system is trying to pick up the fallout from the under funding of mental health services.

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MadCatWoman1 Sun 31-May-20 19:31:29

What crime did that young man commit? Robbery? Assault? Rape? Whatever it was, why hadn't he sought help for his mental problems before?

Also, prisoners these days have televisions, DVD players, ipads, mobile 'phones, as well as often being able to get drugs whilst in there. I, for one, couldn't care less about people who only get half an hour a day to be out of their cell. They are there as a punishment.

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NotSpaghetti Sun 31-May-20 17:35:25

There is no interest in properly funding prisons here in the UK.
I was once reliably informed that "prisons don't win votes".

If only people realised what a waste prison is. Putting more money in elsewhere - education, mental health, youth services etc is a good start but we should really be ramping up rehabilitation, education etc in the prisons.

Maybe then we won't be such a "lock them up and forget about them" culture and probably won't spend any more in the long run.

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Luckygirl Sun 31-May-20 17:25:31

There is a saying that you can judge a society by the way it treats its prisoners.

A young relative of mine is in prison. He committed a crime and has done wrong - but the cause of that crime was his mental health problems (foetal alcohol and drug syndromes - he is adopted and his parents were addicts - , and autism). He should be in a mental health facility, as should many of his fellow prisoners.

This is what is happening in prison during coronavirus. Every prisoner is in their cell alone for 23.5 hours per day - no-one to speak to. In their half hour out they have to get a shower and hope to find a moment to ring home. That is it for the day. His young cell neighbour committed suicide last night; as did another young man several weeks ago.

These are damaged young men who are enduring what is virtually solitary confinement.

I know that many will think that other people are more deserving of our concern during this pandemic. But I feel the need to try and press for more humane treatment.

There is no reason why prisons should not be treated like schools with "bubbles" consisting of groups of prisoners able to socialise or take part in classes on a rota basis.

Locking down in this way is just brewing up more problems. I am sure that I would not be able to cope with it.

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