PROVIDING A SECOND CHANCE? THE UK PRISON SYSTEM COULD DO BETTER

The ongoing debate of how our justice system should handle offenders is extremely controversial; members of the public possess strong ideas about whether prisons should be centres of rehabilitation or retribution.

In 1779 the British Government passed the penitentiary act, making state prisons an alternative to transport or death. Prison as retribution has been around a long time and will likely always play some role in our justice system. It assures that the offender receives punishment for their crime, which is very appealing to those who have been affected by crime and want justice.

By the start of the 20th century, more focus was put on the rehabilitation of offenders. Education, counselling and skill-based courses have become extremely popular in prisons but continue to prove controversial with the public who see it as unfair the tax-payer funds courses and schemes to better the lives of prisoners upon release. However, research suggests that the more opportunities a person has, and the more stable their lives, the less likely they are to reoffend, impacting both crime numbers, and costs of running prisons.

Considering rehabilitation, it is important to remember that the root of crime is usually a result of a person’s alienation from society. Their background, upbringing and status in society are all factors in what kind of crime they are likely to commit. According to The Skills and Funding Agency, 57% of the prison population have the literacy levels of an 11-year-old, nearly half lack functional numeracy and nearly a third have a learning disability or difficulty. Offenders are often the most disadvantaged in society.

With this in mind, the modern-day criminal justice system in the UK is trying to focus on the rehabilitation of offenders. The prison system is not only a means of removing the offender from posing any danger to the public, and punishing them with lack of access to friends, family and society, but it also prepares the offender for when they are released back into society. Rehabilitation can be a very long process including different types of therapy like anger management, as well as creative workshops used to help prisoners express themselves. The hope is that once offenders are released, they have the skills to manage their lives and gain employment, helping them re-establish their lives.

Despite the aims of the prison system, the recidivism rates of UK ex-offenders remain stubbornly high at around 50%, which costs around £13.5bn each year. This is very high when compared with Norway which sits at 20% (See box out), but less than the US which is at 75%.

The UK currently has the highest Prison population in western Europe. According to The Office for national statistics (June 2019) fraud has seen the highest increase with 15% followed by robbery at an increase of 11% and knife crime at 7%. It seems that our current system isn’t working as well as it could, and new schemes are needed.

At first glance it appears that these new schemes are being developed and implemented with over 118,000 offenders have participating in pilot rehabilitation schemes. Looking closer though, the numbers look shakier.

According to the BBC, just 16,434 of those 118,000 are or were prisoners, the rest are offenders serving community sentences. Lastly, this covers the period between 2009 and 2017. Given that the UK prison population in December 2019 was 82,771, having just 16,434 over an eight-year period taking part in trial projects, seems very low indeed.

RESOLVE is the most commonly used programme to rehabilitate prisoners. The programme is aimed at males who have been convicted for violent and aggressive behaviour and have been assessed as a medium risk to society. It is designed to tackle behaviours and attitudes and understanding self-control, preparing them for when these conflicts are faced on the outside. There are many programmes like this all over the country focusing on different issues and different groups of people. However, it appears that one of the most effective means of rehabilitation is education. One study of 37 years of research in the USA showed that prisoners that participated in education programs were 28% less likely to reoffend, and participants of vocational and educational training schemes in the UK show similarly reduced rates of re-offending.

Despite the successes of rehabilitation when implemented, there are several risk factors as seen in recent cases that need to be considered. The recent violent attack on London Bridge by the radicalised Usman Khan doesn’t give the state-run rehabilitation courses a good reputation. He committed his attack after completing two counter terrorism courses and the Home Office’s Desistance and Disengagement Programme (DPD). Radicalisation, substance misuse and detrimental familial ties are high-risk factors that jeopardise successful rehabilitation.

MP’s Revelation

Across the years many MP’s have confessed to previous class A drug use. During the race to succeed Teresa May; Boris Johnson admitted to using cocaine as a teenager at Oxford University in an interview with Pierce Morgan for G2 Magazine v . This became a catalyst for other MP’s to come forward on their drug experiences.

Michael Gove come clean on using cocaine several times whilst working as a journalist. While trying to keep his campaign for the conservative leadership he faced many accusations of hypocrisy as he oversaw a clampdown on drug usage during his time as Justice and Education secretary.

There is a general stereotype for drug users, those from a low-income background living in an area with a high crime rate are more at risk to suffer from scrutiny. There is a large amount of evidence to suggest that higher earners are more likely to use cocaine. In fact, those earning over £40,000 a year are nearly twice as likely to do so.

Drug use is very much overlooked apparently, depending on your finances. A former senior drug adviser to the government, Prof David Nutt, said Gove’s disclosure was more proof that privileged politicians felt able “to break the law, but not for others to do the same”.

INSIDE NORWAY’S MOST LUXURIOUS PENAL INSTITUTION:

Norway has an unusual and extremely laid-back approach to their prison sentences and the treatment to prisoners. However, with a re-offending rate of only 20%, the lowest in the world, it appears to be working.

A life sentence does not exist in Norway, the maximum sentence is 21 years. If an offender is still believed to be a risk to society, they will remain in prison for another 5 years, which can be repeated. There is only a small percentage of offenders that serve their full sentence, and most serve no more than 14 years. From a first glace you would assume Norway is running riot with ex-convicts; in fact, Norway has one of the lowest crime rates in Europe.

With their relaxed approach comes a lot of luxuries and freedoms that allow prisoners to continue a normal life behind bars. Free education, the right to vote, drug treatment, mental health and training programs are all available. New mothers in prison are allowed a ‘sentence break’ after childbirth to allow them to spend a few months outside with their child and postpone their sentence.

Halden (maximum security) Prison is one of the biggest and luxurious prisons in the country. It was designed to mimic a normal life of living in a town full of people with the exception that they are there for either murder, rape or other violent offences. Prisoners can walk freely sur-rounded by a forested landscape, interact with prison guards and can attend school and/or any other lessons they wish to gain qualifications. Living conditions couldn’t get much better in Halden Prison, each prisoner lives in individual dorm rooms with a comfortable bed, desk, mini fridge and a private bathroom with a shower.

On average the price of running a prison in Norway is £84,000 per inmate per year which is a considerable amount more compared to the UK which spends about £38,000 per inmate per year. Norway’s spend per head may be considerably high however it is proving to work. The Office for National Statistics claims that for every 100,000 people in England, 139 are in jail, which is more than double Norway’s 63 in 100,000.

The question is, would this method work in the UK? In the 1980’s, the recidivism rate in Norway was at around 60 – 70% which is higher than the UK is now. It was the overhaul of their system, reframing prison as rehabilitation over revenge, offering training and education, and an overhaul of the role of the guards that has reduced the rates so much. Although this system may work for Norway, we lack evidence from programs in the UK where the culture and support structures are different. We suggest that it merits a closer look all the same.

Georgia Churchill, BITA ltd