Prisons: A First Step

The increases in pay for prison officers will be widely welcomed by a critical public service, put under siege by crass decisions taken by government, which undermined the operating capability of almost all prisons and brought a number into dysfunction and crisis. But there is still a long way to go before our prisons deliver a balance of punishment and rehabilitation in a civilised environment, which values the dedication of staff and the human potential of those who have committed crimes, sometimes because they are wicked, but often because they are desperate and know no better.

There is much yet to do. First the notion that prisons should be privatised and become institutions in which shareholders can make a profit is mad. That has to stop and all such prisons re-nationalised. Next, as many more staff as are needed must be recruited and trained as a priority. Third, there must be a balance between sentencing, capacity, and purpose at present missing. We have to be clear what prison is for. At the moment it is far too often a university in which criminals learn to how commit more crimes.