Many
prisoners are addictive personalitites - alcohol or drugs. Many have
come from very disfunctional backgrounds & are damaged - Many have
psychological problems. Many cannot read or write above the age of 11
years. There is a serious question about whether a high proportion of
prisoners should be in prison at all because their special needs simply
cannot be met.
Many statistics are out of date, but, for example :-
Many statistics are out of date, but, for example :-
- 64% of prisoners have a drug problem.
- 70% had been drinking when they committed the crime.
- 61% have a personality disorder & 10% are psychotic /
25% of women & 15% of men suffer from Psychosis - 49% of women & 23% of men suffer from depression
- 20 - 30% of prisoners have Learning Difficulties.
I
was lucky enough to go to Conference one year. We were informed about
the Government's plans to privatise Prisons, copying the American model,
despite the fact that it hadn't worked there. We were almost unanimously
against the plans & forsaw the problems which have now surfaced.
Sadly it was all entirely predictable.
What
I really don't understand is why the situation has been allowed to get
to this stage before anything is done. Currently it appears that
everyone inside some prisons is at risk of harm. I cannot believe that
the Government were unaware. The Inspectorate, the IMB, the Prison
Reform Trust & the Howard League must have been issuing warnings
about the effects of cutting staff & finance. If the Government were
aware they have been negligent. It must mean they were not listening.
In
my experience Prison officers do a really difficult job with great
humour & understanding. With very few exceptions they tried to make
an inadequate system work as well as possible. I hold Conservative
politicians entirely responsible, not only for what is happening now,
but also the lost generations of ex prisoners who have been through this
system which is failing spectacularly.
We
have all the evidence we need that Prison does not work. We know that
we imprison more people than any other European nation. Scandinavian countries imprison only half to one third as many people as us - why? We really do need to take positive action - quickly.
This is a list of countries by incarceration rate.[1]
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