Prison population of England and Wales
Encyclopedia
There are 139 prisons in England and Wales
, with 19 built since 1995. Seven prisons are private: built under the Private Finance Initiative
, they are termed DCMF prisons (privately Designed, Constructed, Managed and Financed) and revert to the government
after 25 years. A further two prisons are privately managed but were built with public money. The remaining prisons are operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service
, an Executive Agency
reporting to the Ministry of Justice. The prison population is split between local prisons, remand centres, training prisons, young offender institutes and open prisons.
has one of the highest rates of incarceration
in Western Europe
, along with Scotland: In 2011 an average of 152 people in every 100,000 were in prison
.
On 22 February 2008, prisons in England and Wales had exceeded their "operational capacity" with just over 82,000 prisoners. This is a near-doubling of the English and Welsh total from 42,000 in 1991; furthermore the Home Office
predicts a population of 110,000 by 2010. As of a report by http://www.hmprisonservice.gov.uk/resourcecentre/publicationsdocuments/index.asp?cat=85 produced on 26th November 2010 the incarceration rate of the UK is 85,458 which is beow the previous anticipated figure of the home office.
In 2004, each prisoner cost the taxpayer an average
of £38,000.
The rise in the prison population has been substantially driven by harsher sentencing
. In 1995, 129 people were in prison for shoplifting
; in 2005, it was 1,400. In 2001, 3,000 people were sent to prison for petty theft
for a first time offence. One third of petty offenders lose their home
while in custody; two-fifths lose contact with their families; two-thirds lose their jobs
. Around half of all prisoners have a reading age less than an 11-year old. Two in five prisoners lack basic literacy skills and four in five do not have basic numeracy.
All this contributes to reoffending rates of 59% within two years. The number of women in prison has risen disproportionately - from 1,800 in 1994 to 4,500 in 2004. 40% of women going to prison have previously attempted suicide
.
In January 2008 it emerged that over 16,000 prisoners had been released early over the previous 7 months in an attempt to free up prison places.
Rather than falling down to pre-war levels, the post-war prison population started to slowly rise, which then started to accelerate as time went on.
Part of the reason was not with the judicial service at all but by new definitions and hypothesis surrounding mental illness given legitimacy by (i) the National Health Service Act (1946) and (ii) the removal of much of the powers and experience of the Board of Control. This meant attention and resources was increasingly diverted to those who had become acutely 'seriously' ill, then discharging them as soon as they had started to recover. The resistance to admit any new patient before they had become 'seriously' ill was also increased. Both led to more opportunity for them to slip into the forensic system in the absence of an effective financed community support system. As this new 'up wave' started in a period of renewed hostilities followed by post war recession and high unemployment the conditions were very similar to those that coursed the increase in prison populations back in the latter part of the 18th century.
Another influencing factor came by way of the United Nations
drug convention driven by the US war on drugs
. It help shape Dangerous Drugs Act of 1964. This Act initiated the first steps to dismantling what had come to be known internationally as the British system of treating drug addiction. Max Glatt, who was the original pioneer of successfully formulating a protocol for treating addicts, wrote a detailed review in 1966 which lays out the situation as it was seen then. Forty years on, some of the report today seems quite prophetic, for instance he quotes D H Berger remarks: "...the real point of the advantage of the British method (is that) ... In England there are few, if any, crimes committed by addicts in order to obtain the huge sums demanded by (American) pushers for illicit drugs... The British by their studied hands-off policy have saved the vast majority of their un-addicted population the price of crime, broken homes, welfare payments, and the like. This is the crux of the problem. Certainly any physician who grossly abuses the trust in him... Can be dealt with by local authorities without creating a huge black market and crime wave. Should England's new regulations be too restrictive, then they will surely reap all the problems which now beset (the U.S.A.)". In 1966 the 1st edition of Peter Laurie book 'Drugs' gives a clear explanation why he thinks this convention is doomed to fail.
England and Wales
England and Wales is a jurisdiction within the United Kingdom. It consists of England and Wales, two of the four countries of the United Kingdom...
, with 19 built since 1995. Seven prisons are private: built under the Private Finance Initiative
Private Finance Initiative
The private finance initiative is a way of creating "public–private partnerships" by funding public infrastructure projects with private capital...
, they are termed DCMF prisons (privately Designed, Constructed, Managed and Financed) and revert to the government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
after 25 years. A further two prisons are privately managed but were built with public money. The remaining prisons are operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service
Her Majesty's Prison Service
Her Majesty's Prison Service is a part of the National Offender Management Service of the Government of the United Kingdom tasked with managing most of the prisons within England and Wales...
, an Executive Agency
Executive agency
An executive agency, also known as a next-step agency, is a part of a government department that is treated as managerially and budgetarily separate in order to carry out some part of the executive functions of the United Kingdom government, Scottish Government, Welsh Assembly or Northern Ireland...
reporting to the Ministry of Justice. The prison population is split between local prisons, remand centres, training prisons, young offender institutes and open prisons.
Prison population
England and WalesEngland and Wales
England and Wales is a jurisdiction within the United Kingdom. It consists of England and Wales, two of the four countries of the United Kingdom...
has one of the highest rates of incarceration
Incarceration
Incarceration is the detention of a person in prison, typically as punishment for a crime .People are most commonly incarcerated upon suspicion or conviction of committing a crime, and different jurisdictions have differing laws governing the function of incarceration within a larger system of...
in Western Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, along with Scotland: In 2011 an average of 152 people in every 100,000 were in prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
.
On 22 February 2008, prisons in England and Wales had exceeded their "operational capacity" with just over 82,000 prisoners. This is a near-doubling of the English and Welsh total from 42,000 in 1991; furthermore the Home Office
Home Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...
predicts a population of 110,000 by 2010. As of a report by http://www.hmprisonservice.gov.uk/resourcecentre/publicationsdocuments/index.asp?cat=85 produced on 26th November 2010 the incarceration rate of the UK is 85,458 which is beow the previous anticipated figure of the home office.
In 2004, each prisoner cost the taxpayer an average
Average
In mathematics, an average, or central tendency of a data set is a measure of the "middle" value of the data set. Average is one form of central tendency. Not all central tendencies should be considered definitions of average....
of £38,000.
The rise in the prison population has been substantially driven by harsher sentencing
Sentence (law)
In law, a sentence forms the final explicit act of a judge-ruled process, and also the symbolic principal act connected to his function. The sentence can generally involve a decree of imprisonment, a fine and/or other punishments against a defendant convicted of a crime...
. In 1995, 129 people were in prison for shoplifting
Shoplifting
Shoplifting is theft of goods from a retail establishment. It is one of the most common property crimes dealt with by police and courts....
; in 2005, it was 1,400. In 2001, 3,000 people were sent to prison for petty theft
Theft
In common usage, theft is the illegal taking of another person's property without that person's permission or consent. The word is also used as an informal shorthand term for some crimes against property, such as burglary, embezzlement, larceny, looting, robbery, shoplifting and fraud...
for a first time offence. One third of petty offenders lose their home
Home
A home is a place of residence or refuge. When it refers to a building, it is usually a place in which an individual or a family can rest and store personal property. Most modern-day households contain sanitary facilities and a means of preparing food. Animals have their own homes as well, either...
while in custody; two-fifths lose contact with their families; two-thirds lose their jobs
Employment
Employment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. An employee may be defined as:- Employee :...
. Around half of all prisoners have a reading age less than an 11-year old. Two in five prisoners lack basic literacy skills and four in five do not have basic numeracy.
All this contributes to reoffending rates of 59% within two years. The number of women in prison has risen disproportionately - from 1,800 in 1994 to 4,500 in 2004. 40% of women going to prison have previously attempted suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
.
In January 2008 it emerged that over 16,000 prisoners had been released early over the previous 7 months in an attempt to free up prison places.
Early history and political influences on prison population figures
The prison population suffered a small blip during the Second World War. Most of this was due to the imprisonment of 'conscientious objectors' To a lesser extent was the war-time creation of 'motivation' and 'opportunity' to commit crime occurring together. However, with law enforcement relying heavily on constables who were not considered fit enough to join the armed services, it is not surprising that most perpetrators remained at large and unknown.Rather than falling down to pre-war levels, the post-war prison population started to slowly rise, which then started to accelerate as time went on.
Part of the reason was not with the judicial service at all but by new definitions and hypothesis surrounding mental illness given legitimacy by (i) the National Health Service Act (1946) and (ii) the removal of much of the powers and experience of the Board of Control. This meant attention and resources was increasingly diverted to those who had become acutely 'seriously' ill, then discharging them as soon as they had started to recover. The resistance to admit any new patient before they had become 'seriously' ill was also increased. Both led to more opportunity for them to slip into the forensic system in the absence of an effective financed community support system. As this new 'up wave' started in a period of renewed hostilities followed by post war recession and high unemployment the conditions were very similar to those that coursed the increase in prison populations back in the latter part of the 18th century.
Another influencing factor came by way of the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
drug convention driven by the US war on drugs
War on Drugs
The War on Drugs is a campaign of prohibition and foreign military aid and military intervention being undertaken by the United States government, with the assistance of participating countries, intended to both define and reduce the illegal drug trade...
. It help shape Dangerous Drugs Act of 1964. This Act initiated the first steps to dismantling what had come to be known internationally as the British system of treating drug addiction. Max Glatt, who was the original pioneer of successfully formulating a protocol for treating addicts, wrote a detailed review in 1966 which lays out the situation as it was seen then. Forty years on, some of the report today seems quite prophetic, for instance he quotes D H Berger remarks: "...the real point of the advantage of the British method (is that) ... In England there are few, if any, crimes committed by addicts in order to obtain the huge sums demanded by (American) pushers for illicit drugs... The British by their studied hands-off policy have saved the vast majority of their un-addicted population the price of crime, broken homes, welfare payments, and the like. This is the crux of the problem. Certainly any physician who grossly abuses the trust in him... Can be dealt with by local authorities without creating a huge black market and crime wave. Should England's new regulations be too restrictive, then they will surely reap all the problems which now beset (the U.S.A.)". In 1966 the 1st edition of Peter Laurie book 'Drugs' gives a clear explanation why he thinks this convention is doomed to fail.
External links
- HM Prison Service (England and Wales)
- Home Office prisons page
- Nick Davies, The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, June 23, 2005, "Life behind the prison looking glass" - World Prison Population List (seventh edition)
- Marx, Gary T (1974) Ironies of Social Control: Authorities as Contributors to Deviance Through Escalation, Nonenforcement and Covert Facilitation MIT Cambridge, Retrieved on 14 October 2006.