The prison in York HMP Millsike will be enough room for just under 1500 male prisoners sited next door to Full Sutton Prison. They created 500 or so more places during the 14 years they were in office... That's a fact isn't it? They did a lot of talking but failed to deliver.
Milsike opened a few months ago it wasn't opened under the Tories but it was built. Not disputing they haven't built many spaces to keep up with growing population.
Any foreign national sentenced to longer than 2 years is automatically given a deportation order at the end of their sentence. Or are you proposing that they don't serve any punishment for their crimes? Because that would seem unduly lenient.
Jesus, that's the entire point - if you focus on rehabilitation you're less likely to be the victim of crime.
It is relatively easy. The reoffending rate is 75%, there are charities I've worked with offering mentorship who see reoffending rates as low as 15%. It costs circa £5k to put an inmate through this charity course, or £50k a year in jail. Prisoners are normally released without a bank account and without an ID, so they have no way of claiming social welfare, housing or of applying for a job. If you end up homeless with no means of income, you're much more likely to reoffend. Giving prisoners a bank account and passport would make a noticeable difference to reoffending
It works in many places across Europe. This isn't just trying something new, this is trying something new and proven to work. The negative image associated with going to prison for a short sentence mean that an ex-offender is more likely to be unemployed, end relationships, become homeless and have to resort to crime to survive on release. Whereas, a community sentence would allow them to continue to work, maintain relationships and pay for their home. Leaving more prison spaces for violent offenders.
Genuine question, it costs next to nothing to open a bank account and a passport and very little effort so why is it not done?
Surely any criminal is likely to have had a bank account before they get incarcerated. And it's not taken away just because of imprisonment. Plus - why should they get a free passport? To go on holiday?
Think about it. You can't get a bank account without an ID and home address. Often the only acceptable ID is a driving license or a passport. The majority of people behind bars, especially young first offenders don't have a driving license and operate cash in hand so don't have bank accounts. They leave jail and then need to learn to drive, or get a passport (not easy, and can take months if you've never had one before and have a record). Until you get the passport and an address with two bills to prove it, you can't apply for a bank account. But you can't claim social welfare until you have a bank account, it's a catch 22. Newly released prisoners often don't want to return to their old ways, but are left with no choice as they have no other means of survival.
You reckon most of those in prison have not ever bothered to have a bank account? There are all sorts of people in prison. I reckon you are just picking on one stereotype - errant youth - to make a general case. I have no particular objection to making it simpler for released criminals to have the capacity to financially transact. But landing a free passport as a reward for villainous deeds is unpalatable. It still wouldn’t help with the proof of address. But I understand that you can claim welfare without this, or indeed a bank account. Some sort of recognised prison issue i.d. for criminals would perhaps sort out the problem.
Re offending is far more complex than just give them a job and a bank account etc. Over a third of inmates in the UK have a serious drug addiction which imo is a massive problem in society in general not just jails. Then there's things like mental health problems, radicalisation which makes these people harder to rehabilite.
There’s also the need to want to change too, it’s we’ll known that prisons are a breeding ground for lessers criminals to turn to much more serious criminality, it’s also an occupational hazard for lots too, just a part of the game. A don’t think whichever government are in power will ever get it right tbh
No, I know most people released from prison don't have bank accounts through years working with prison charities and mentoring ex-offerders. You can also Google it in 2 seconds. Your third paragraph demonstrates that you live on a different planet from the demographic we're discussing and can't relate. Access to social welfare and the ability to apply for work reduces reoffending. Reducing reoffeding means less future victims, less crime, safer streets, less wasted tax payers money. So yes, give them a fecking passport
If you receive a sentence of 18 months, you presently serve half before release on licence. So the comparison is 6 months served compared to 9 months. In either event you are liable to recall if you reoffend. For a 12 month sentence, the release point would presently be 6 months. The proposal to release after a third would trigger release on licence after 4 months. That was the comparison I was making.
I’m asking the question as the poster appears to have experience in this and has stated it would help reduce reoffending, if that’s the case I don’t understand why it’s not done.
I think under the Tories, the thought was that helping prisoners and investing in rehabilitation wouldn't play well with the electorate who they believed wanted punishment. Our prisons are now beyond disrepair and incredibly short-staffed as the staffing for many has been privatised. It is very true that prisons are now a breeding ground for further crime as we don't try to rehabilitate, so the factors that made an inmate first commit a crime are still there, or worse, on release and we do nothing for mental health. A lot of offenders have mental health issues from difficult childhoods and life experiences etc, far more leave prison with mental health issues than come in which breeds future crime. 'A bit of a stretch' by Chris Atkins is a brilliant and at times hilarious read about the current system. As a caveat to the above. I'm fully aware that not everyone can be rehabilitated and that some prisoners have committed crimes so awful that they deserve punishment and the key to be thrown away. The bulk of prisoners however are locked up for pretty low-grade crime and their destiny's can be changed. I've seen it in action.
A passport costs less than £95 and is proven to reduce reoffending. The newly released prisoners are using it as ID, not to jet off to Magaluf. It’s only a free passport, they’re not getting a free flight and hotel to go with it. Less than 100 quid to stop reoffending is an absolute bargain of epic proportions, a misplaced sense of jealousy isn’t worth giving up the proven benefits.
