If you need urgent support, call 999 or go to your nearest A&E. To contact our Crisis Messenger (open 24/7) text THEMIX to 85258.
Options
The cost of a criminal
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
On newsnight the other day they commented that it costs the state £32,000 per annum per prisoner, to keep them incarcerated.
I would be interested to know why this is? Is it not possible to develop a system whereby the prisoner provides sufficent labour to reduce this significantly?
Why has the "hard labour" aspect gone out of imprisonment?
I would be interested to know why this is? Is it not possible to develop a system whereby the prisoner provides sufficent labour to reduce this significantly?
Why has the "hard labour" aspect gone out of imprisonment?
0
Comments
it may well cost thast much but ...a huge percentage of that cost is payed for by prison labour.
take havverig nick in cumbria ...they produce every quality of denim possible.
the toughest goes to other jails where they make prison uniforms ...the rest ...is sold on the world market.
preston nick in lancashire ...also produce textiles but mor for packaging and dishcloths.
wymott prison ...again in lancashire ...prodeuc kevlar and also run one of the largest laundrys in western europe.
hmp strangeworld in manchester ...textiles and electrics.
over 90% of food consumed in british jails is produced by prisoners on prison farms ...from jam to beef to bread.
many private companies send mind numbing jobs into jails ...such as packaging washing lines or putting tlittle screws into the three pins in your household plugs.
there are prisons with plastics producrion and metalworks.
the public never get told about the huge industrial complex that is the uks prison system.
Why should prisoners be exploited by private companies to ensure that the thieves that run the FTSE100 get to stay in Ferraris? Sure, teach them new skills, and if part of that tutoring happens to be making things for state services then all the better. But forcing prisoners to slave for fat cats in Jags? No way.
http://www.proliberty.com/observer/20041205.htm
What's your point, caller?
It's an interesting thought that Clandy raises (for once): why is the prison population rocketing at a time when private firms are making more and more money at the expense of these people? Rather strange, I must say.
You're welcome anytime poppet;)
I just don't believe the conspiracy nut stuff, but you knew that already...
and we are talking the state prisons here not the newly privatised ones.
in wymobtt prison they make bullet proof vests for the government and even helicopters ...full size ones but not flying ones ...for the rescue services to practice with.
there have been plans put forward numerous times to have prisoners building roads ...cleaning streets and canals and stuff but the problem then is ...your putting joe public out of work in favour of slave labour.
yes there are recreation periods in jail but i can assure you all they are few and far between.
people are not in the gym or pplaying pool all day.
those who get no work ...spend twenty three hours a day in their cells vegetating ...24hrs a day if it's raining.
Sure you do, so long as its touted on the evening news/daily press/et al. as "the official explanation". But then we've been through that many times before.
Have you ever been in a prison?
And what relevance does that have anyway?
I know people who have, and a lot of them have a cushy fucking time in there!
That'd certainly deter anyone with decent taste from becoming a criminal, then
The people that worked in the warehouses got about £12 a week (that's only a few hours work a day though, 5 days a week, not 40 hour full time, and the goods on sale from the prison shop were very cheap, much cheaper than in normal shops).
There aren't enough jobs for all the prisoners, most of them really want to work, but they can't all. You can't exactly force them to do it, some of them have serious drug habits and are not in a state to work.
Hell, teaching them to read and write would be a good step forward for a large percentage.
1) To act as a detterent and a warning to people that there's a price to pay if they break the law
2) To show that society thinks that some acts are wrong and need to be punished by loss of liberty.
3) To punish individuals
4) To rehabilitate.
Jails have to be more than a chance for people to learn new skills - there does have to be some punishment involved and its got to be serious enough that people don't want to end up there or go back
But a huge number of criminals either dont think they will get caught or dont care either way. So no matter how hard prison is it will have no deterant factor.