ministry of justice

THE UK PRISON INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX

Posted on by in Perspectives and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .
hmp altcourse sue adair 1
by Michael Noone for IAS UK

In March 2018, the then Justice Secretary David Guake delivered a speech on the topic of prison reform. He kicked off proceedings by detailing his perception of the prison system and its modus operandi. Describing it as three-fold, Guake explained the aims as follows:

First, protection of the public – prison protects the public from the most dangerous and violent individuals. Second, punishment – prison deprives offenders of their liberty and certain freedoms enjoyed by the rest of society and acts as a deterrent. It is not the only sanction available, but it is an important one. And third, rehabilitation – prison provides offenders with the opportunity to reflect on, and take responsibility for, their crimes and prepare them for a law-abiding life when they are released.

Continue Reading

SLOWLY, SLOWLY: CORRUPTION IN US (AND UK) PRISONS

Posted on by in Perspectives and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .
1

By David Breakspear

I was recently asked to be a guest speaker on an American live radio show to talk about the collateral damage of injustice and corruption in US prisons. The show is aired from Colorado Springs, so in order to be able to talk about local issues, as I usually cover correctional facilities in Florida, I set about researching prisons in Colorado – which also led me to Louisiana – and I came across a company formerly known as Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) that changed their name to Core Civic in October 2016 during ongoing scrutiny of the private prison industry in the US.Continue Reading

WHAT IS PRISON?

Posted on by in Perspectives and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .
1

By David Breakspear

  1. Prison – noun – a building in which people are legally held as a punishment for a crime they have committed or while awaiting trial.
  2. One of the Ministry of Justices’ four strategic priorities is “A prison and probation service that reforms offenders” (Ministry of Justice).

Number one is definitely the case, but what about number two? Well, based on the latest government figures in relation to self-harm, violence, and suicides, I would suggest that the Ministry of Justice is not delivering on one of its key strategic priorities.Continue Reading

R AND R

Posted on by in Perspectives and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

By David Breakspear

A slightly misleading title. It should be RJ and R, but it just didn’t have the same ring.

So, what is RJ and R? Restorative Justice and Rehabilitation.

Why am I taking a closer look at these?

Continue Reading

THE IMPRISONED: UNIVERSAL SUFFRAGE AND REHABILITATION

Posted on by in Community and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

by Adam Edwards

If this is how the Queen treats her prisoners, she doesn’t deserve to have any.
— Oscar Wilde

Every few months the ongoing tit-for-tat between the UK government and the European Court of Human Rights at Strasbourg develops. Strasbourg will insist that the UK must extend suffrage to the country’s imprisoned populace, and UK politicians will line up to express how nauseating they find the idea. It’s a piece of political theatre that unfolds with the predictable reliability of a soap opera.

It should serve to remind us as to the purpose prisons serve. Episodes like this ought to help us scratch the Ministry of Justice’s PR varnish enough to remember that prisons exist primarily as an expression of the power of the state over the individual; cross the line and we will lock you up. Not only will we take your liberty, but inasmuch as we seek to ‘rehabilitate’ and ‘reform’ you, we will take your identity too. We will arrest your body and your conscience alike; we will isolate you and remove you. While we’ve got the keys, you don’t exist. Just cross the line.

Continue Reading