[UK] Prisoners face ban on Sky TV in tougher prisons

Post Reply New Topic

We'll see how this pans out. I'm not hopeful. I suspect this is talk to keep the Mail readers happy.

Almost makes it sound like prison is not a fun place to be anymore

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYZ5XoHxC3I[/youtube]

But what exactly will it accomplish? Just making it tougher for tougher sake? In USA prisons are damned tough, and we have high as hell recidivist rates, and absurd amounts of violence inside of our jails. As laughable as UK jails looked to me in USA, you guys are doing better in actually rehabilitating criminals than us.

From wiki...

60% v 50%? Is that something to be proud of? Really?

Well it is a prison.

Rehabilitation should be about learning and changing criminal recidivism, not being all cosy with luxuries that the lowest in society can't even afford.

I support this to an extent, people shouldn't have more luxuries in prison than outside. However, I think the issue is massively overplayed. Very few prisoners have Sky TV in their cells. Also, I don't want this to go the way the Tory and UKIP loons want it to go, back to the days before Elizabeth Fry.

1/6th of prisoners who would re-offend in America don't reoffend here, which clearly shows we're doing something right that America isn't doing.

Prison should be a punishment. It shouldn't be a barbaric Thai-style hellhole, but it shouldn't be a pleasant stay either.

Happy?

Depends what you mean by that.

For me, punishment is way down the list of things a prison should do. Protecting the public from the most dangerous criminals, deterring crimes in the first place and rehabilitating offenders are more important.

I would want the following:
1) Rooms at 20 degrees Celsius
2) Three meals a day, one of which should be a hot meal. They shouldn't be luxury meals, but should be healthy, well balanced, and edible (not gruel). An example of a hot meal I would feel appropriate would be mashed potato, carrots, peas, and baked beans. Maybe a value sausage or two.
3) Opportunities to work- not hard labour, maybe litter picking, running the prison shop, working in the cafeteria, cleaning. These would pay less than minimum wage, but would hopefully install a work ethic into people.
4) Educational workshops, including help fighting addiction, gaining qualifications for work, lessons on raising children, managing a budget...
5) Luxuries like Freeview television provided for good behaviour and hard work, but not as a starting point and can be withdrawn at any point.

I think that's more or less what we have now...? One difference is that I'd go for the most basic Freeview/Freesat with a fairly limited range of channels rather than Sky with Sky Sports and Movies or whatever. Living at home should hopefully be at least as good as prison, even for the worst off. With the luxuries I'd emphasise "hard work" over "good behaviour", because outside of prison nobody gives you a TV for being good (though of course people who clean like mad and also hit people wouldn't get rewarded beyond a pittance wage for the work).

Personally, I don't think some people can be rehabilitated. What do you do with these people, if they're a danger to others? Do you let them out again, or do you try to keep them inside for as long as possible?

As for your five-point plan: and the justice system is working amazingly well now, isn't it.

Frankly, most of what the prison system should be about is protecting the public from the bad guys, and possibly rehabilitating and treating well those that can be rehabilitated. Some people shouldn't be inside, and it's important that these people are helped.

On what basis do you think that?


Do you really need to ask this question? Of course people shouldn't be released if they're thought to be a danger to the public!

Because there are people there who keep offending and keep showing absolutely no remorse for their crimes. That's true for a lot of child sex offenders, for a start. The best techniques haven't worked on these guys - and it's usually guys - so the best thing is simply to keep them away from the public.

Well a lot of child sex offenders aren't treated properly. Rather than being offered pills to weaken their sex drives or animated pornography to give them a proper outlet, they are branded as paedophiles for life and cut off from the community.

I don't think pills would work because they can refuse not to take them. I do agree with repealing some of the laws on child pornography, specifically those around drawings and animated pornography, if it leads to less children being hurt as a result. Also, I think that it needs to be a lot easier for paedophiles to receive help than it is at present.

The rack I presume also will make things less comfortable. Will he bring back the crank? How many revolutions? 1,440 per day? Mondays is skilly, Tuesdays is pea soup, Wednesdays is skilly, Thursday is pea soup...

It's all Daily Mail style populism to look like the government is acting tough on crime when it isn't

My personal stance is that television in prisons should only offer educational programmes, current affairs, and high class arts. They should not offer trashy entertainment. If Sky is banned then so can ITV.

Clock strikes right twice a day.