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Reducing the prison population (29 November 2010)

By Baljit Somal

The government has announced plans to try and reduce the prison population by reviewing sentencing policy and stopping short custodial sentences. Coupled with this will be a reduction in funding for the probation service whilst at the same time paying private firms and groups according to how many prisoners they rehabilitate. The aim they say is to turn criminals into law abiding citizens.

What has lead to this review is the increase in prison population from around 40,000 in 1990 to around 85,000 in 2010. Spending on the prison service is now under review like any other area that is funded by the government.
It costs on average £38,000 a year to house a prisoner in our prisons. With 85,000 prisoners it is understandable why the government wishes to review spend on prisons.

We as a society want criminals to be punished appropriately. We also want our prisons to provide rehabilitation so when released they do not return to a life of crime. And this is where the problem appears to lie. 60% of crime committed is done so by re-offenders. It would seem the aim of this policy is to prevent criminals from re-offending.

Prisons are supposed to provide education and courses to inmates so that they have skills which they can put to use upon release. But it seems this system is failing. The probation service provides rehabilitation and education. They however remain understaffed and underfunded. With a proposed cut of 25% in their funding, their ability to make a difference will be severely curtailed.

So the government has proposed the setting up of private groups to undertake rehabilitation of offenders. However there is a proviso; they will be rewarded based on their performance. Does this mean they will gladly undertake the rehabilitation of an offender who has committed a first time offence whilst declining to rehabilitate a habitual drug user with numerous convictions who commits crime to fund a drug habit? Incentives appear to be based on success and failure will not be rewarded.

With new legal aid means testing provisions now in place and with the above proposals being mooted the overriding aim is to cut back spending within the criminal justice system. Whether these cuts will mean rehabilitation and a decrease in the prison population remains to be seen.

Ultimately rehabilitation depends on the individual and whether he/she has the will and the desire to be a law abiding citizen. All the education and efforts of various organisations is never enough. Prison is often the only solution.