Prison

[Andy008]

What's prison life like these days?

I mean proper prison, not YOI, as the general impression I've got, perhaps wrongly, is that it's all a bit of a holiday.

[Romeo]

I've never been, but I've no intention of booking two weeks in August. I don't fancy being banged up among thugs and perverts. Being raped or assaulted isn't my idea of a holiday.

[londondave]

I have never been, but I know a retired Prison Officer who thinks it is all too easy.

[ursula62]

My sister is a prison officer, and so is her fiance. On the one hand my sister thinks its unfair that prisoners are given free access to open university courses when she can't afford to do one - either in cash (she is not that well paid) or time (the shift system for officers is horrendous).  On the other hand she accepts that if the prisoners weren't kept "amused" then her life would be much harder - there are enough incidents in prison anyway, without the prisoners being bored and frustrated.

Her fiance is much less of a liberal and feels that the Victorians had it right - 24 hour lockup, bread and water and no visitors!

I suspect it depends a lot on which wing you're working on - the prisoners are separated out  not just by age or whether they are on remand / sentenced, but also by the types of crime commited and/or the length of sentence.

[nedflanders]

I live near HMP Kilmarnock Prison (Scotlands only private prison) and it is a holiday camp !!! TV's in every cell etc.  Funnily enough no one has ever scaped in the 4 years it has been open!  The punishment the prisoners receive if unruly is being sent to another prison !!!

[Grunty]

It can be either humane or easy depending on your point of view.  I still think being deprived of my liberty would be an extremely hard lesson for me.

[londondave]

lock em up in a single cell 8' x 4', bare white walls, matress on floor, just a toilet and sink, food put through a gap in the door, no interaction, no tvs, no radio. etc

[Loosehead]

Quite harsh, I mean sometimes room service can be late and you can never get on the snooker table. The Gym hasn't even got a jacuzzi. The en suit bathroom is an awful colour I mean we're in here to be punished but must we subjected to the total cruelty of day time TV. I mean I applied for Sky sports and Sky+ the other day. That govenor you know he's a hard man he said you'll have to make do with your DVD collection. When are we going to get a swimming pool. What's it comming to? I'm thinking of going to the ECHR on this, where's Cherrie?

[butter1]

to be honest, I agree with Londondave... single cell, no tv etc sounds very good.  They are in there for a reason, a punishment...it's not a holiday camp!

[natalie_1982]

I would agree with londondave to a certain extent, i.e. that should be the treatment for those who have committed 'serious' crimes like rape, murder, child abuse, etc.  However, since nowadays you can be imprisoned for speeding or if your child wags school, I think that's a bit harsh.

I think it varies from prison to prison, it seems that the people that have been in prison for offences such as theft, burglarly, vehicle TWOC, ABH, GBH, affryd assault, are all in with people who are in for simialr offences and they all get on and serve their time. 

I think paedophiles and such like should be put in the same wing as them.  It seems that the more serious your crime the more protection you get.

[Zen]

Just been talking to someone who has just been released from a 9 month sentence after 2 months,he said he has never seen so many drugs freely available,apparently the prison authorities turn a blind eye to it as it helps keep the inmates happy and contented so making their jobs easier!!!!

[Romeo]

Consider this. If prison is so marvellous, we all might as well go out and rob a shop as there is nothing to fear. I don't think so!

I repeat (as the others don't seem to have read my first answer), I don't fancy being banged up among violent thugs and rapists of men. I think that would be punishment enough, don't you? Not to mention the loss of liberty, the overcrowding, the lack of privacy for years. Holiday camp?  No thanks!

[webby27]

my partner worked in a prison a year ago for a short while and i know he was shocked as to how easy the inmates had it they all had tv's ,radios etc which were taken off them if they misbehave and they were allowed to interect with each alot. In my opinion it,s not hard enought prison should be so bad you NEVER want to go back however i don't beleive this is the case i knew a lad a while back who had just been released but was keen to go back cos his mates were in there. so is it really that tough? I don't think so

[ursula62]

Whatever the rights and wrongs of the current prison system, the punishment part is only the deprivation of liberty. The function of prison is to rehabilitate. If offenders behave well then they should be rewarded with privileges, otherwise what's the point?

[spinchimp]

Londondave - you missed the bit about destroying the homes of their relatives.

[londondave]

Nah, thats only for terrorists

[natalie_1982]

It's hardly their families fault is it?

[spinchimp]

Refers

[spinchimp]

Refers to

[spinchimp]

Sorry about this, the pc went slightly mad.

Refers to another thread natalie. I agree with you but our friend londondave has a different view of the world.

[mystress]

What we must remember is,that Prison is to punish AND rehabilitate(is this a paradox?)

I know a retired Prison Officer who put it in a different light.

He states:~

First offender enters Prison, receives help and education, does not reoffend.

First offender enters Prison, is put in bare cell etc (as above) reoffends,renters prison over and over again, and becomes "old lag"

How does the latter benefit society? It creates many reoffenders,and means we have to build more prisons(and overcrowded prisons at that) Ursula,at least Victorian prisoners were kept one to a cell, had a better diet than the outside world,and WERE allowed visitors.(Sorry Victorian Prison History is one of my pet subjects)

Harsh Prison Regimes(see USA) never stopped Criminals reoffending.

To finish,my Prison Officer friend said, that once someone has been in Prison twice(or more) they will always come back,why? because they are institutionalised and unable to cope wirh the outside world.(So they reoffend to get back in,regardless of harsh or not)Indeed many are unable to cope before they commit their first crime.A large proportion of the prison population is educationally subnormal.

Remember we as a society are responsible to a large extent for the criminals that we allow to become created by it!