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A clean (jail) break?

Fri Jul 03 11:41AM

Cherie Booth's Commission on English Prisons Today has come riding to the rescue of England's fit-to-burst places of correction. A shame it's not clear whether the politicians are listening.

By Alex Stevenson

Yesterday's report is the result of two years' hard labour (pardon the pun. Sorry, pardon that pun too). It proposes a radical reduction in the number of prison places and the closure of several prison establishments, shifting the emphasis to local preventive measures.

Is this so radical? Its commissioners think not. "It's perfectly possible to have less crime, safer communities and fewer people in prison," chairman Professor David Wilson explained at today's report launch.

Accepting that's the case is actually quite easy to do. Crime levels have declined by 43 per cent, Ms Booth, claims, but prison numbers have shot up. Before the sudden rise in the prison population in 1993 there were only 42,000 inmates. Now we're close to double that level. Something's got to give.

For politicians acceptance is much harder, however. They are constantly under pressure to be harder, stricter, less compromising. That may be why today's report has tried to present a way out of this dead end.

"This is not a counsel of despair, this is a very positive report," Ms Booth told politics.co.uk. By spending public money "more wisely" the community can be made safer. "That's a win-win situation," she said.

Her upbeat approach offers a dramatic way out. If the choice is between continuing with business as usual and making a clean break, it's clear which presents a bolder option for policymakers.

This is why it may have been an error to duck out of providing any specific targets. The broad-brush approach, providing principles, was the result of a deliberate "tactical" ploy. Not all those present at the report approved, fearing it might undermine rather than enhance its effectiveness.

"There's a real danger in getting fixated with numbers," Ms Booth lamented, while Professor Ian Loader of Oxford University, a fellow commissioner, insisted a tactical mistake had yet to be made. "It's possible we might have done," he conceded.

A similar lack of specificity was present in the answer to the question from politics.co.uk, on the length of the "long-term" transition required.

"There are some things we could do pretty quickly," Ms Booth said. She is a woman in a hurry: "The question we have to deal with is happening now, and so the solution has to start happening now."

Prof Loader talked of the need for "political leadership" on these issues. Perhaps more experienced in the Westminster world herself, Ms Booth said a "political consensus" existed.

Was this a fair reflection of the commitment on show? Prisons minister Maria Eagle and her shadow counterpart, Edward Garnier, attended the report's launch. Their remarks were equally guarded, equally non-committal, demonstrating precisely the sort of equivocation not desired by Ms Booth and co.

Ms Eagle said the report was "very interesting". It would provoke "some lovely and ongoing discussions". Yes, minister. Her emphasis was especially telling. "We do have to have enough prison places for those people sent into custody," she said, at her most firmest. At least the commissioners can be encouraged she had made time in her "ridiculous diary" for the report launch.

Mr Garner was politer, but equally cautious. He said the report "makes some entirely worthwhile... recommendations".

"This is a document that should be open on every policymaker's desk, and not left on the shelf," he beamed. Take it or leave it.

Ms Booth, smiling courteously as they delivered their somewhat meaningless platitudes, knows that something must be done.

It must be the politicians who do it; there's only so much the wife of a former prime minister can do. But at least a radical solution is now on the table.

Comments11 - 20 of 236

Prison is a holiday camp.Playstations,good food,weekly bag of sweets and tobacco and a total lack of discipline.It is also a stressfull,boring and unrewarding place to work.The staff moral is at an all time low and the Governors are pathetic with no idea of discipline

From johnston996 on Fri Jul 03 12:40PM
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Cut immigration down drastically, deport non national criminals - problem solved+

From zippyc2003 on Fri Jul 03 12:44PM
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It seems prison worked well 50 or more years ago. But hey! there were no PC types about then and the do-gooders were in the minority. Blame them..they started the rot.

From rossmans on Fri Jul 03 12:54PM
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Prison overcrowded, so what? I have an idea, lets remove the multigyms and pool tables, TV rooms make more cells, introduce hard labour, especially for MPs, put 6 to a cell, that would solve overcrowding. Better yet, put thieves and those wiht ASBOs in the army for the duration of their sentance with the option of staying after. Here in Teesside we have several US and French warships awaiting break up, refit them and tow the out into the North Sea employ some guards, and bingo, prison problem solved. Make punishment work and stop paying compo to druggies who have to endure a bit of cold turkey, perks and privliges only for those who have genuinely earned them and not for recidivists. Introduce prison farms to feed inmates and make prisons more cost effective. Problem solved.

From pcarsley74 on Fri Jul 03 12:57PM
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great comments alanseymour35 could not agree more. however if in the worst crime areas of britain all school children of a certain age had to visit the prison see the so called hotels our prisoners are living in. if you've ever smelt a cell after being locked up all night it should be enough to put a few of them off... ask any prisoner what its like when the door slams shut at night...the noise the smell the lack of freedom why do people not realise what its really like...i know i'd never want to end up in one of these hotels!!!

From patricia.ogden on Fri Jul 03 01:00PM
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“Cut immigration down drastically, deport non national criminals - problem solved+”
Ah yes, because 100% of the people in prison today are ethnic minorities. Like Dr Shipman. He was...oh wait. And Ronnie Biggs, he is...Oh no, wait. And Fred West...wait he was white too.
Blaming it all on minorities is moronic. I think prisons should be harsher and we should bring back the death penalty. I also think we should start clearing up the thieving, shiftless white-trash s@#$% that are causing the problem.

From the_bishop_2k on Fri Jul 03 01:04PM
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Is it not about time peope woke up in the country we are to soft on prisoners in a number of ways why can,t we take the same system as in american prison life means life not just a holiday for a few years the way they house there prisoners over in the usa is working and alot safer i bet than over here once you commit a crime your human rights go out of the window oyur there to be dam well punished not to enjoy yourself on computer games and dvd's think of the people who have suffered and have to suffer for the rest of there lives pity we won,t give them what thet did to there poor victims

From jeffuk56 on Fri Jul 03 01:07PM
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All this guff about human rights. Once a person commits a crime, they should not have any human rights. AT ALL. Then you can start to decide, according to the nature of the crime and its effects on the victim(s), whether or not any rights are deserved.
To me there is no difference between a thug hitting an old person over the head and robbing them of their last penny, and the banker who plays with other people's money and loses it. (Or the politican who tells lies on the expenses claim, for the matter). A drunk driver mounts the kerb and kills a pedestrian, or smashes a few more cars up on the way - deliberate acts - the drinking and then the driving.
Lock them up and throw away the key.
There are too many "do-gooders" in this country. Remember Lord Longford and his campaign for Myra Hindley? I believe that's when it started in a big way.
And as for Ronnie Biggs - he did the crime, he should do the time. He skived off to Brazil while he was fit and healthy with 27 years yet to do, and comes back here because he is sick. Aw dear. Poor guy. Let him go? NEVER! It was greed, pure and simple, and his little scheme came unstuck.
And for that report - either crime has reduced by 43% or it has not. Either the prison population has gone up by 100% or it hasn't. The two are incompatible.

From reinieri on Fri Jul 03 01:10PM
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None of you appear to have actually worked in the prison sector so your comments are a mixture of fact conjecture and prejudice.We have state prisons and private sector prisons. State prisons are usually older, require higher manning levels and tend to have a stricter regime. Private sector are mainly new, high tech, easier regimes and substantially lower staff levels. The loss of liberty is the punishment not the treatment in the prison. I have worked in the private sector and have close friends who work in the state sector.In the private sector cells are provided with electric kettles and colour T.V's.Prisoners are given newspapers, menus to pick their meals from and the food is reasonably edible.Prison wings are equipped with snooker and pool tables, table tennis,table football and wide screen T.V's. Medical facilities are usually good.Because of the financial dynamics private sector prsoners can earn (with overtime) up to £60.00 per week in the workshops. There is a deduction for victim support and compulsory savings. The rest can be spent on extra food, sweets, toiletries,phone credits, radios and craft items. This may appear to be a form of appeasement to keep prsoners compliant however it seems to work with lower recidivism level for offenders who have served their sentence in a private prison......However one BIG PROBLEM is the derisory sentencing guidelines.If offenders were given realistic sentences with only a small rebate for good behaviour there would be a temporary surge in prison numbers then a substantial drop as the persistent offenders were locked up for longer and the revolving door was closed for good.

From bratman46 on Fri Jul 03 01:15PM
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This from a woman who puts criminals' rights before victims! It's probably loaded with PR spin to help her hubbie in his new EU gravy train role. She may have some good ideas but she definitely can't be trusted. Deporting, corporal and capital punishment would be far more effective. Why should be keep these anti-social murderers, rapists and kiddy fiddlers? They should be hanged! There should be more space for the sick loonies often let back out into the community to kill again.

From su.sunstone on Fri Jul 03 01:19PM
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