By James Hedges
In this thought-provoking article, James describes the life-long effects of even a short prison sentence, and he argues that the criminal justice system simply throws broken people back into society. Can a civilised society not do better than this? James is a real person but this name is a pseudonym.
I’ve just watched an episode of The Bill, a British TV police drama series, which depicted the fear of a young black offender of going to prison. I started thinking about this ‘fear’ of going to prison. Are you afraid of going to prison? As someone who’s been there, I’m not. Having the tag ‘offender’ is over and done with. Whether it’s once or seventeen times, it doesn’t get any worse. The fear of going to prison was very real before the fact. Stomach-churningly awful, yet once you’re captive, there’s nothing you can do. You're in the hands of the system. From that point onwards you move from one room to another, of varying sizes, and you will be locked in, possibly handcuffed, possibly double-cuffed if in transit (cuffed to an officer as well), and from that day on, someone else holds the keys.
Being confined at home, on a bus, in a lift, or in someone else’s home can feel like being locked in, but you have the freedom to leave. However, when the ability to choose when to leave is taken away, as in prison, being locked in becomes oppressive. Prison is bad in many different ways. You’re constantly at risk of threats and violence, your choices are severely restricted, your personal belongings may be stolen, your food may become contaminated, and you endure repeated invasions of your privacy. But you adjust. Over time, you graduate from being the scared newbie, frightened of your own shadow, to the experienced old hand who welcomes new newbies and makes them feel at home. I imagine that repeat offenders can easily slip back into the routine. The fear and threat of prison only works the first time.
In prison, time is wasted. Your life clock ticks away. Sand falls through the hour glass because you’re ‘banged up’, serving your sentence. But when you’re released, this is when more problems can start. Career opportunities may be severely curtailed from that point on. With the stigma of a criminal record, you’re never going to reach for the stars, make a difference, or be able to stand for public office. Your dreams of contributing to the human race are over. So getting out after one year, five years, or fifty years – it hardly matters. You can end up ‘doing time’ for the rest of your life, whether you’re on the inside or the outside of the prison walls.
Relationships, too, are improbable from that point on. As you’ll never amount to much as a career climber, you’re never going to be wealthy, thought of as a good catch, or be a respected member of the community. Someone would have to love you, just for being you. But even if a romantic partner accepts you and your background, it’s unlikely that their parents and other family members will. Nobody wants an offender in the family. So with a vanishing possibility of romance to look forward to, there’s no rush to get out of prison. You might as well stay locked up.
So why do we imprison people? As a society, we don’t really know what to do with offenders. We just know that we don’t want them loose in the community. If someone has committed a crime once, they may do it again, so the attitude is: ‘Let’s lock them away – out of sight, out of mind’. But in England and Wales today, that’s nearly 88,000 people, which is greater than the size of the British Army. All of them incarcerated to keep the public and their property safe. But inevitably, sentences are served and most offenders are released back into the community. The longer you’ve been away, the harder it is for you to fit back in. After you’ve had someone else waking you up, cooking your food, providing you with work, permitting you to watch TV, and telling you when to go to sleep, on an endless repeat, who would want to manage bills, seek housing, work hard, and mix with people who will likely hate, dislike or despise you? Frankly, it’s a lot easier to stay locked up.
Prison is just a waiting room. Society may harbour the illusion that, by having all the normal stresses and responsibilities of life removed, you will miraculously learn that whatever you did was wrong, and you’ll not do it again. As if prison is full of understanding and people who think philosophically about life. Society holds that nobody is there by accident or circumstance, be it poverty, threat, addiction, mental illness, self defence, misunderstanding, selfish need or anything else. People act and they are responsible for their actions. Sometimes they may act on the spur of the moment, by instinct, or it may be that their lifestyle doesn’t agree with that which is approved of by society. Prison is full of everyday people whose futures have been destroyed. Society labels and despises criminals of every ilk. They are very aware of that upon release or just by reading a newspaper. For some, that awareness is shut away or blocked out because, otherwise, it would be overwhelming and unmanageable. So they resort to type, whether that be drug use, alcohol, offending, striking out, shoplifting. You’re already hated, so you can’t sink any lower. The shock of capture has happened, prison is no threat a second time, so why not live the life of ‘dirt and shadows’ that the public expects of you?
Rehabilitation, correction, human repair and the law – all these elements of the criminal justice system need reform, both in terms of management of offenders and how they are perceived by the public. Could communities hold welcome parties for people ‘graduating’ from rehabilitation, accepting the new and improved citizen into the workplace, the community, society, forgiven of all transgressions and free of lifetime monitoring, checks, black marks, and judgement? Is there any chance of that ever becoming reality? Are all offenders repairable? Are some crimes worse than others, or is violation of state-agreed laws the line that has been crossed?
Of the 198 nation states on Earth today there are none, as far as I'm aware, that have got this right yet, which suggests it’s not about to happen in my lifetime. Society holds that people are the victims of crime and they do not want offenders to ‘get off lightly’. Society wants punishment, and they want it to be harsh, unbearable, and lengthy. The fact that this system throws damaged and broken humans back into the public domain escapes their notice. We are not yet a civilised race.
Editorial notes
Norway is often cited as having an enlightened penal policy that emphasises rehabilitation over punishment. The Norwegian correctional system focuses on treating inmates humanely and preparing them for reintegration into society. Norwegian prisons provide inmates with conditions that closely resemble life outside prison, including private cells with televisions, computers, and en-suite bathrooms. This approach aims to maintain the dignity of prisoners and reduce the psychological impact of incarceration. Education and vocational training are integral parts of the rehabilitation process. Inmates have access to a variety of educational programmes, from basic literacy courses to university-level classes. Work opportunities within the prison allow inmates to develop skills and habits that will help them secure employment upon release. The goal of the Norwegian correctional system is to reintegrate inmates into society as law-abiding citizens. This involves comprehensive support in finding housing and employment after release.
The UK has a new Prisons Minister, James Timpson OBE, who was appointed as the Minister of State (Minister for Prisons) on July 5, 2024. His approach to prison reform is likely to be characterised by a strong emphasis on rehabilitation and reducing reoffending rates. As the new Prisons Minister, Timpson advocates a transformative shift in the prison system, which includes a reduced reliance on incarceration and an increased focus on community-based sentences and support services for offenders with mental health issues. His experience as CEO of the Timpson Group, a company known for employing ex-offenders, informs his belief in the power of providing second chances. Timpson's company has successfully integrated around 1,500 ex-offenders into its workforce, with a remarkably low reoffending rate. This practical experience underpins his approach, which seeks to address the systemic issues within the prison system through meaningful rehabilitation efforts and support for reintegration into society.
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