Why Do Prisons Work

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Prison also known as a penal institution has been a part of the criminal justice system for three centuries in the UK. Over the years prisons have had different aims and functions which range from punishment to rehabilitation, in order to control offenders as this has been the last resort for their behaviour. There have been several discussions on how controversial prisons may be at times and if they actually do what they aim for which is to make offenders into law abiding citizens. This essay it will have a general look at the successes and failures of prisons in the UK through the evaluation of statistics and case studies of criminologists.
There are many reasons as to why prisons do actually work. The aim is to confine offenders into conditions …show more content…

Offender Behaviour Programs found international evidence that by enforcing programs such as anger management and drug problem courses help reduce offending behaviour. Furthermore Vernard et al 1997 found recognition that programs with certain characteristics are indeed effective in the decline of recidivism and the success is mainly with cognitive behavioural programs. Also having access to education and training is also very important as this will allow offenders to develop their skills and gain qualifications to find employment after their release, this cognitively reinforces the person to focus for their future as they’re given educational …show more content…

This means that there is less attention for the people, less control and resources for them to use. In Wandsworth Prison there are at least 1,100 men who have to share a one man cell. This can be very horrible for a prisoner as it can have a negative experience which can result in violence, self-harm and suicide. Evidence to support this point is the Strangeways riot in Manchester 1990. Hundreds of inmates demolished the prison and the protest lasted a shocking 25 days, cost of £100million in repairs and death of two prisoners. Earlier on in this year a prisoner took to the roof to protest about the prisons conditions which lasted 3 days. In 1985 they did try to make more prisons to prevent transfers and higher populations, but didn’t go through with

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