Two of the most influential books I've ever read were "Future Shock" by Alvin Toffler & "Small is Beautiful" by E F Shumacher, both written in the 70's. I'm tempted to send copies to the leaders of this Government, but I doubt it would change the current Government thinking on our Prison Estate.
The announcement today that seven prisons are going to be closed & three will be partially shut to be replaced by super prisons came as a complete shock to those of us involved with any of these prisons. Staff will be re-deployed or offered voluntary redundancy as far as possible. Offenders will be moved.
We were warned at the annual conference of the Independent Monitoring Board last year that the Government was committed not only to privatising services to prisons, but the prisons themselves. However, at the prison I serve we had been reassured that we would be OK. A new Governor & her staff have worked unbelievably hard to improve the prison over the last year.
The impact of this on all staff, offenders & their families will be enormous. Then the impact on all the people involved in the support services for these prisons has to be taken into account. The implications are huge & the cost will not be inconsiderable. Maths isn't my best subject but I am left wondering how the Government has arrived at the cost saving figures they have announced.
The new super prison will house, (what a euphemism!), 2,000+ offenders. It isn't yet built, but the closures will start at the end of this financial year - i.e. April. The government insists that offenders will have more opportunities in a very large prison. However, it sounds to me as if that doesn't necessarily mean an improvement in conditions, as a lot of courses will take place in the offenders cells. So they may well be locked up for longer than they already are. Although the government denies the term "warehousing" I find it difficult to believe that won't be the outcome. The parallels with the story line in "The Archers" about the mega cattle rearing sheds Borchester Land is building seem obvious to me.
Professor Andrew Coyle (Prison Studies London University & the International Centre for Prison Studies), is against this move. He says there is clear evidence that the optimum number for a prison is 500. He also says a feasability study has already been published which questions the use of "super prisons". The American example fills me with foreboding.
We have to hope that the Secretary of State for Justice Chris Grayling & his Under Secretary Crispin Blunt know what they are doing. Personally, I prefer to put my faith in someone who has the expertise, the qualifications and the experience like Prof Coyle. Sadly he doesn't have the power.
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