MPs say cut prison places by 33%
 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8457554.stm

A reasonable idea or another example of putting Joe Public at risk to save money? What happens if the money 'promised' for these 'community programmes' is gradually eroded as tends to happen in all sorts of areas? Much harder to close a prison quietly than to sneakily trim a few quid off some community programmes budget I'd have thought. I'd love to think this could work but somehow....

Re: MPs say cut prison places by 33%
 

terrible idea ,if someone is deserving of a prison sentence then he/she should be in prison not in the community.One of the main considerations that criminals have when commiting a crime ,be it theft ,drugs or anything is what are the penalties if i get caught and will it be worth the risk .If penalties get reduced to relieve the prison poulation then the crime rate will go up imo as criminals realise they can get more and more chances before going to jail

Re: MPs say cut prison places by 33%
 

All those criminals fit and well enough should be formed into ad hoc battalions, equipped with the barest amount of equipment with minimal training and then sent overseas to do the governments dirty work.


Or have we tried that before?

Re: MPs say cut prison places by 33%
 

i think your joking ,but i don't think putting criminals in the army is a good idea

Re: MPs say cut prison places by 33%
 

How about putting the savings into wooden platforms, lengths of rope and bags of sand?

Re: MPs say cut prison places by 33%
 

Put into community sentences that don't work for 99% of offenders.

Proper, meaningful, community sentences would work but there isn't the will to have those, criminals already complain they are being humiliated if they have to wear Hi-Viz vests on community service.

Personally for the majority of offenders who don't work and never have done I'd have them doing an intensive 0800-1600 working day doing things like maintenance of public areas and if they 'forget' to go or refuse to comply with the instructions given during the work they get an immediate prison sentence.

Of course for this to work prison needs to be a deterrent and for most people inside it isn't actually that bad. In fact some re-offend to go back inside as they have a better live behind bars than on the street.

Re: MPs say cut prison places by 33%
 

Prison doesn't seem to rehabilitate either :shrug:

Re: MPs say cut prison places by 33%
 

The opposite idea, of carpetting Britain in prisons, is so obviously insane that changing course to locking fewer people up has to be a reasonable idea. Crime's been falling in western countries for a decade or more, so self-evidently we don't need more prisons.

Re: MPs say cut prison places by 33%
 

Seems a bit harsh for shoplifting.

Re: MPs say cut prison places by 33%
 

thats because a lot of prisoners are'nt that fussed about about being rehabilited ..a)because they won't serve that long anyway and ..b)what time they do serve will be quite cushy

Re: MPs say cut prison places by 33%
 

Cuts right down on the whole re-offending thing though. :erm:

Re: MPs say cut prison places by 33%
 

all depends on how the government have whitewashed the figures ,do they count all crime from shoplifting to murder or just the ones that are jailable

Re: MPs say cut prison places by 33%
 

Given that the amount of crimes that can get you locked up has increased dramatically over the last few years it's probably about the same. :dozey:

Re: MPs say cut prison places by 33%
 

isn't that what the public want though?more of the little *******s locked up and removed from society ,how many of us are realy bothered if they are rehabilitated just as long as they are out of our way and not bothering us

Re: MPs say cut prison places by 33%
 

Some cannot (IMO) be rehabilitated. Some can but the majority would take a good 3-4 years of rehabilitation work to come out as moderately useful members of society.

Re: MPs say cut prison places by 33%
 

Unless you're an MP of course... ;)

Re: MPs say cut prison places by 33%
 

Not sure if you can answer this Derek as i know things are slightly different in scottie but the police in england now have the power to issue cautions for things they never used to be able too ?. If that is true then it has to have affectted the figures quite a lot. Hell a caution was apparently given to a rapist because the police didn't feel there was a need to go to court about it panorama highlighted it a while ago and who can forget the little sweetheart who after beating a woman senseless put on his myspace page "you have to slap a bitch in the face to keep her in her place" also got off with a caution.

So sorry if crime figures are one more set that i have absolutely no faith in but labours record for mwessing about with them makes me think less prison places is a very bad idea. We already have people being released because of lack of prison space who then go onto commit serious crime again. But this will save money so sod public safety we all have to tighten our belts thanks to gordo and now it seems lock all our doors and windows and hope none of the **** that should be locked up come a calling.

Build more not cut spaces and then maybe the public can rest a little easier knowing **** are inside where they belong and not getting out early because they need the bed for someone who did something more recently.

Re: MPs say cut prison places by 33%
 

Not advocating it for shoplifters, just the worst 33% of the prison population. Murderers, rapists, city bankers etc.

Re: MPs say cut prison places by 33%
 

Outsource prisons to China.... with Chinese rules.

Deterent might work better than "rehabilitation".

Re: MPs say cut prison places by 33%
 

City bankers ???

btw, I am sure the etc covers a multitude of sins....

---------- Post added at 18:09 ---------- Previous post was at 18:08 ----------

Depends if you believe in justice or revenge, doesn't it?

Re: MPs say cut prison places by 33%
 

Bit of humour to lighten the situation...

Re: MPs say cut prison places by 33%
 

Maybe this is a devious ploy on behalf of the former honourable members to try and make sure there is no space to put them in for fiddling their expenses :).

Re: MPs say cut prison places by 33%
 

i reckon prison sentences should be as they were back in the 70s like in Porriage, digging roads, building walls etc not cushy cushy sitting around playing PS3s and watching TV.