General   (General discussion, talk about anything.)

Prison Reform trust: Why prison reform?

"The state of our prisons is a fair measure of the state of our society. The Prison Reform Trust works to ensure they are just, humane and effective.

Prisons are the most shaming of all our public institutions. The United Kingdom has the highest imprisonment rate in Western Europe at 145 per 100,000 of the population - in conditions which are frequently an affront to civilized values, and at great cost to the taxpayer. Yet the vast majority of our prisoners do not present a serious threat to life or limb. Their crimes are such that they can be more humanely, economically and effectively dealt with in the community.

At first sight, our enthusiasm for imprisonment is suprising. Prison has a poor track record. It is hard to show any relationship between a society's rate of incarceration and its rate of crime. Prison keeps some offenders off the streets, but it seems neither to deter nor reform. Judged simply on its effectiveness, prison has been repeatedly condemned as a blunt instrument."

I don't know if anyone saw Jeffery Archer on The One Show last week, but he told a heartbreaking tale about a fellow prison inmate. The 23-year-old man told Jeffery he would happily trade places with him upon their release. Jeffery was 61-years-old and asked the man why he'd willingly trade most of his life away.
The 23-year-old said Jeffery would be leaving prison to go to a loving family, home and money and he'd had an interesting life.
He, on the other hand, would be released to have no supportive family or friends waiting to greet him, no home, and he'd be back on drugs...
Jeffery heard two years later that the man was found dead under a hedge with a needle stuck in his arm.

Bassman: No-one makes them drink,snort or whatever, they do it on their own.

These are addictions, powerful addictions that take strangleholds on people.

It is human - not subhuman nature to have weaknesses such as addictions. Drugs are still on our streets and vunerable people are enticed to try them, some of these go on to become addicted.

I agree the 'Human Rights Act' is sometimes mis-used to give rise to ludicrous, appalling outcomes which give it a bad name.
However, I want to live in a just and humane society where people with addictions are treated in the most appropriate way so in the long run we all live in a safer place.