The Need for Prisons in Britain

The Need for Prisons in Britain

The prison population in England and Wales currently stands at 71,800.

According to the Home Office estimate this figure is projected to rise

to 83,500 by 2008. Similarly in Scotland, which has a separate legal

system and its own private service, there are similar pressures.

Prisons can be successful in their four aims: retribution, protection,

deterrence and rehabilitation. Reconviction rates are at a substantial

low, but is that enough? Whilst compared with the problems facing

prisons aquestion arises, 'is it really prisons Britain needs?' There

are several other approaches to punishing, deterring and

rehabilitating offenders whilst also protecting the public. These

include the increasingly popular Community Punishment Order (CPO),

previously known as Community Service. This involves the offender

doing unpaid work that shall benefit the community, however this also

entails the offender learning new skills. Otherwise we have the

ever-prevalent fine. This requires the criminal to pay a sum of money,

up to £5000, if sentenced by the Magistrates and there is no limit as

to the maximum that can be imposed by Crown Courts. The success of

fines is a much-debated issue. These are just a pair of alternative

sentences; this essay will fully explore the concept that Britain

needs more prisons. Is the Prison Service struggling to cope with the

continuing rise of incarcerated criminals? Are prisons successful in

their aims or are the alternatives the way forward? I wish to

thoroughly analyse these questions to come to an adequate and reasoned

conclusion based on the evidence I have acquired.

The prison popul...

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...tion is spiralling

out of control. This is unacceptable they need to acknowledge that

some changes are required and have the courage, as Finland did, to

renovate the current justice system.

Does Britain need more prisons? The evidence and statistics say it

all. No. So what does Britain need? The rate of conviction and

incarceration is increasing all the time; therefore Britain needs a

solution, that is unquestionable. The evidence suggests Britain should

move to reform and become more liberal as the successes of Finland are

a hard magnetism to disregard. Yet despite the attraction Britain's

leaders are still clinging to their socialist policies, which could

cause devastation to the already stretched Prison Service. By

following Finland's lead Britain could, over time, reform to produce a

promising justice system.