Crime and Punishment

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Crime and Punishment

• Mr. A. Hardie

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Bang them up in prison Thatll cut the crime
rate.
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(No Transcript)
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Prison on 21/02/2003
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Prison Population 21/02/2003
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Recorded crime in the UK
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Prison Population

• By the turn of the century, British jails held
  more than 60, 000 people.
• The type of criminals varies greatly

• In 1995, there were over 4,000 prisoners serving
  life sentences for murder.
• In the same year 20,000 were sentenced to
  imprisonment for non-payment of fines.

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Is Prison the best option?

• Many people say that prison is not the best
  option.
• Having mixed with other criminals they argue it
  reinforces criminal tendencies and on release the
  offender is likely to break the law again.

• 57 of all prisoners released in 1996 were
  reconvicted of breaking the law within 2 years of
  leaving prison.
• Among young male offenders this percentage rose
  76

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Talking Points
To send a woman to prison is to take away her
family her children in particular may suffer
from this deprivation, which can lead to the
break up of the home even where there is a stable
marriage (A woman prisoner)
Prisons are the nearest thing to hell on earth
that have ever been created. (Prison governor).
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In the morning at ten past seven we get unlocked
and then its communal slopping out, we all empty
our bowls and chambers from the night before and
then we go down to breakfast, eat it in the cell,
get washed, shaved and then lounge around until
nine, until they open the doors again. And then
we are locked up again until 11 oclock, well
have half an hours exercise, have our dinner, go
upstairs, collect the mail if there is mail, and
then we are locked up again until about ten past
two. Then it's slopping out again and then were
locked up again until about half past three. Then
we have another half an hours exercise, lock up
again, then at 4 oclock go down and get our tea,
come back, and then were locked up again until
about six oclock, then we slop out again, get
rid of our trays- and then thats it til were
locked up again all night
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More Talking Points
Keep in mind those who are in prison, as though
you were in prison with them. (Hebrews 133)
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Punishment or Rehabilitation?

• Imprisonment does not deter. We have a record
  number of people in prison and a record crime
  rate (Robert Kilroy- Silk)

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Punishment or Rehabilitation?

• There are 165 prisons and young offenders
  institutes around Britain
• 20 of the population are criminals needing
  special treatment or care
• The great majority are young men under 30
  convicted of drink, drugs and car offences.
• Most are semi-literate from backgrounds where
  they have had little emotional or moral support.

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Punishment or Rehabilitation?

• The average UK prison sentence is one year
• During this time the tax payer will fund bills of
  twice the fees of an Eton College pupil, to keep
  each prisoner confined to an environment which
  teaches him how to commit crime more effectively
• According to The Prison reform Trust, 75 of
  those who have been in prison once, rapidly find
  themselves back inside.

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Billy, 55, authors interview
I have been in and out of nick for the last 35
years. I reckon to have spent no more than 5 of
them free. I can never get a job, I have no
family- its the only place I really know. I feel
secure inside- Ill die inside, I know that
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• How prisoners are dealt with is becoming
  increasingly important
• The crime rate is rising and prisons are
  overcrowded
• The cost of locking people in prison is a
  tremendous burden on society.

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Chris Tchaikovsky

• I am convinced that prisons actually feed their
  own future
• If a prison is tough it becomes important to
  prove that you can withstand it by hiding your
  real feelings
• We have tried to publicise many cases of
  mistreatment and neglect but little has changed
  in Britains closed and secret prisons
• Prison brutalises people
• What is needed is to set up centres where the
  young and disaffected can be educated, cared for
  and put together again
• Could Day Prisons be the answer?

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Alternatives to prison

• Electronic Tagging
• In 1999 this scheme was extended to the majority
  of Britain.
• Prisoners are not allowed on this scheme if
• They are a risk to the public
• They are likely to run off or offend again
• They have nowhere suitable to live.

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Electronic Tagging

• Advantages
• It is low cost (4 per day) and flexible
• Shoplifters can be kept at home during shop hours
  and sex offenders can be stopped from going out
  at school times
• It gives offenders a chance of rehabilitation and
  can resettle offenders into the community

• Disadvantages
• There can be technical problems (dead spots)
• It cannot guarantee that the offender wont
  reoffend.

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Other alternatives

• Home Detention Curfew scheme
• 2, 914 people were on HDC last week.
• In 1999, 5 of offenders who broke the rules were
  sent back to prison

• Community Service
• It costs around 25, 000 per year to keep a
  person in prison,
• just over 2, 200 to put someone on probation,
• less than 2000 for a community service order.