Britain’s prisons are at breaking point. In recent weeks, the media has focused on the issue of overcrowding. It is, however, only the tip of the iceberg. This report highlights where HM Prison Service is failing:
- Overcrowding, which is even worse than has been reported.
- Living conditions for prisoners, which are brutal.
- Extremism among prisoners, which is widespread.
- Safeguarding of HM Prison Service workforce, who are overwhelmed and understaffed.
- The reinsertion of prisoners into society, which mostly fails.
The British prison system is not fit for purpose. It no longer fulfils the goals of the 2003 Criminal Justice Act. It does not rehabilitate prisoners and it drives up reoffending. This report argues that the problem with prisons, at its root, is a problem of incentives. Put simply, there are almost no incentives for prisoners to reform themselves. Instead, most of the incentives reinforce toxic behaviour. If we wanted to create a prison system that made people behave worse, then we would create the one we have now. The most important takeaway from this report is that the prison system should be redesigned to incentivise rehabilitation. Taking cues from the Norwegian prison system, the Government should:
- Build more prisons to deal with overcrowding – but run them according to a completely different model.
- Hire more prison staff – and train them better.
- Empower police and prison staff to tackle extremism behind bars.
- Give prisoners meaningful activities to do during the day.
- Ensure every prisoner leaves with a plan.