The overcrowding crisis in our prisons is about to reach a
dangerous zenith, as the Prison Governors Association considers taking
legal action against the government in response to the impending
disaster.
But this peak of overcrowding conceals a much deeper issue.
For what purpose are people sent to prison? How should they be treated
once they’re there? Do prisons work?
Jack Sheard examines the issues that plague the UK’s prison estate.
People are sent to prisons as punishment. They are not sent to
prisons to be punished. The refusal to appreciate this distinction has
led to a fundamental moral failure.
Once it is established that a prisoner deserves punishment, it is
assumed that any punishment they get is deserved. As a result, our
prisons have regressed to a position beyond the law. They are filthy.
They lack basic healthcare. They are abusive. And those on whom these
conditions are inflicted are left without recourse.
These conditions fester against larger systematic issues. Our prisons
are grossly overcrowded, and the dubiously-named ‘Operation Safeguard’
cannot resolve the fact that we have the highest incarceration rate in Western Europe. Two-thirds of those crammed..