Re your editorial on the state of prisons (11 August), the prison population in England and Wales, over 86,000, is at a near record high, more than any country in western Europe. The government states its intention to create 20,000 new prison places by the mid-2020s, a matter of seeming political consensus. At the same time, the length of sentences is increasing inexorably.
Yet the weight of evidence is clear: prison does not work. It does not deter – there is no discernible link between levels of imprisonment and crime rates. Nor does prison rehabilitate – adults released from sentences of less than 12 months have a proven reoffending rate of 55.1%. And prison hardly delivers justice – most of those imprisoned are for non-violent offences. Indeed, prison itself is a site of violence and harm. In the year to June, 313 people died in prison, with 88 of those deaths self-inflicted, alongside almost 60,000 self-harm incidents. Prison is an ineffective, expensive intervention.
It fails prisoners, their families, victims and communities. There needs to be a dramatic reduction in the prison population and an end to the costly prison-building programme, with resources diverted to welfare and community services – not least at a time of increasing inequality and austerity.
After 200 years of systemic crisis and abject failure, prisons should be safe and secure places of last resort. They should not be cynically used by politicians for political ends that, given the seriousness of the situation inside, could end in more deaths and disaster.
Deborah Coles Executive director, Inquest
Joe Sim Emeritus professor of criminology, Liverpool John Moores University
Steve Tombs Emeritus professor of criminology, the Open University
