Topic 9: Role And Effectiveness Of Prisons Flashcards
What is the aim of prisons?
Keep those sentenced to prison in custody and help lead law abiding, useful lives when released
What other agencies do prisons work with?
Courts and probation services
How many of the UK prisons are public and how are they funded?
109 out of 122 are public run by NOMS and funded via taxation (in 2021 funding was £5.6 billion)
How are private prisons funded? with an example
Private prisons are awarded contracts based on public bids e.g. GS4 awarded 10 year government contract to run 5 wells prison
What is a category A prison? Provide an example
High risk / maximum security
E.g. HMP frankland
What is a category B prison? Provide an example
High risk to others
E.g. HMP Nottingham
What is a category C prison? Provide an example
Lower risk but not trusted in open conditions
E.g. HMP five wells
What is a category D prison? Provide an example
Low risk, due for release, also known as open prisons
E.g. HMP Ford
What are the evaluation points for prisons?
- overcrowding
- reoffending
- underfunding
- mental health and substance abuse
Evaluate overcrowding as a limitation of prisons
P: a limitation of prisons is that they are overcrowded
E: for example, there are 85,851 inmates in E/W. Of which the CNA indicate only one 10.6% are in accommodation deemed decent
E: this is a limitation because there are too many prisoners which can lead to poor living conditions, increased violence and tension, staff shortages and a strain on resources
Evaluate recidivism as a limitation of prisons
P: a limitation of prisons is recidivism
E: for example, 37% of released offenders re offend within a year which costs £18.1 billion per annum
E: this is a limitation because high reoffending rates suggest prisons often fail to stop crime in the long term, so not meeting their aims
Evaluate underfunding as a limitation of prisons
P: a limitation of prisons is government funding dropping
E: for example, prison budgets fell by 4.3% to £3.7 billion
E: this is a limitation because budget cuts leads to staff shortages which means less rehabilitative programmes and also causes experienced staff to leave due to stress, making prisons harder to manage
Evaluate mental health and drug abuse as a limitation of prisons
P: a limitation of prisons is that there are mental health and substance abuse issues
E: for example, 71% of women and 47% of men report mental health issues and 15% of prisoners develop drug problems
E: this is a limitation because drug abuse and mental health issues make rehabilitation more difficult so means prisons are less effective at preventing crime
