1. To punish
2. To Deter
3. To lessen re-offending
4. To protect the public
5. To rehabilitate
6. To educate
7. To train
8. To detox (hollow laugh - if they are not addicted when they go in.....'
9. None of the above
10. All of the above.
I wish we had a poll facility so that people could express their opinions anonymously, but I am willing to state mine publicly.
Several facts bother me. Black men are more likely to be remanded in custody, found guilty and given custodial sentences for the same offence as white men. Once in prison, they are more likely to be put on disciplinary charges and less likely to be offered education or training. They are disproportionately represented in the prison population. One possible reason is that they are statistically far more likely to be subject to 'stop and search' - if the same number of white men were searched it is quite likely that many more of them would be charged.
I am also bothered by the fact that many prisoners have mental health problems, learning difficulties, drug/alcohol addiction, and have been in 'care' or the armed forces.
My facts are gleaned from the Home Office's own statistics.
Studies have shown that one of the best ways to lessen re-offending is to help prisoners to keep in touch with their families - but many are sent to prisons far away from their homes.
I am claustrophobic and the thought of spending up to 18 hours a day in a locked cell makes me break out in a sweat, without the addition of total lack of dignity.
It costs more to keep somebody in prison than to fund detox programmes or remedial education.
Of course, there are people who need to be kept incarcerated because they pose a danger to others. However, I believe that there are many thousands of people in prison for minor offences who do not belong there. Decriminalising all drugs would be a big help, as would total reform of the care system and provision for ex members of the armed forces.
I regard some of the practices in US jails to be inhumane and uncivilised but I fear the UK has its share of unacceptable practices. After all, most other European countries manage to lock up a much smaller proportion of their citizens.
