Capital Punishment

I don't think I could remain living in a country which executed its citizens. Or where the majority of people were ignorant enough to vote for it.

No. But life should mean life.

Also, prisons shouldn't be cushy places, like they seem to be these days. After all they are supposed to be for punishment.

I am not advocating hard labour but prisoners these days seem to have it easy. No wonder there are repeat offenders. Their life inside is probably preferable to their life outside.

In fact the other day I was (jokingly) saying I should commit a crime in a few years and get a prison sentence. I wouldn't have to worry about accommodation, heating and food bills etc. like many pensioners do these days

Have you ever experienced prison Pink or spoken to anyone who has? Not many would describe it as “cushy”.

I think prison, in addition to removing offenders liberty, should be aimed more at rehabilitation, training, and drug, alcohol and mental health treatment. That may cut the reoffending rate, rather than harsh conditions and treatment, especially for minor offences.

Farzanah - no, I have not experienced prison - thankfully.

Usernametaken

Yes,for Paedophiles, child rapists, premeditated murder and terrorists. Why should the tax payer keep them.

Usernametaken The majority of those in the categories that you mention would have been related or known to their victims, apart from terrorists.

Prison is tough, people who work in prisons don’t describe the environment as a holiday camp. The punishment is loss of liberty. The prisons that are able to offer education, groups, psychotherapy and more have less dangerous environments. The majority of prisoners come from unstable, abusive childhoods. Dyslexia, mental health problems, substance misuse, impulsive behaviour are over represented in the prison population. We don’t need more harsh regimes. A prison where inmates go out to work has a good success rate .

Sorry I’m not suggesting rapists murderers peadophiles should be in open prisons.

Iam64

Sorry I’m not suggesting rapists murderers peadophiles should be in open prisons.

I agree. But they often are when they are reaching the end of their sentences.
It is not surprising that some, whom police believe have a high chance of re-offending, abscond and go missing for months, whilst on day release from HMP Leyhill.

Usernametaken

Yes,for Paedophiles, child rapists, premeditated murder and terrorists. Why should the tax payer keep them.

Of course, then every rape/paedophilia/incest victim would be murdered, to reduce the risk of identifying the perpetrator, since the punishment would be the same anyway.

My own view is that the death penalty is barbaric. I’m surprised that nobody has posted Ian Hislop debating with Patel on the matter:

www.indy100.com/politics/resurfaced-video-shows-ian-hislop-shutting-down-priti-patel-s-argument-in-favour-of-capital-punishment

Yes it’s a problem, absconding on day release though it rarely happens at the north east prison, specifically aimed at prisoners going out to work.
Our prisons are over full. Probation was privatised and became useless so had to be brought back into public ownership. Other Northern European countries have better alternatives to custody and more civilised prisons where rehabilitation is an aim

Yes, the Probation Service was failing.
Recruitment is a problem.

Thank you for reminding about Hislop confronting PP Siope but I did mention near the beginning of this discussion.
I agree with your points Iam64.

The death penalty is not a solution but prison sentences should not be reduced for good behaviour. Nor should several sentences run concurrently - if a life sentence has been handed down then it should mean life - you will never again know what freedom is.
Prison is not necessarily a walk in the park but it was always intended to be a punishment but when prisoners get better meals than patients in hospitals and have access to leisure activities, televisions and things brought in from home such as guitars that just makes a mockery of their so called punishment.
I just don't see the three R's of imprisonment being carried out in the justice system or the prison system at the moment.

We should never reinstate the death penalty.

When we sentence offenders to a prison sentence we should bear in mind the purpose of imprisonment.

Imprisonment serves four purposes.

Firstly Punishment by depriving the prisoner of his liberty

Secondly - Deterrance - by showing other would-be offenders what might happen to them

Thirdly - Rehabilitation - trying to ensure that the offender does not offend after his release.

Fourthly - Protection of the public. Some offenders are so dangerous that they must be kept in custody until such time (if it ever happens) that they are no longer considered dangerous.

In my opinion the fourth reason - protection of the public, is the only good reason for imprisoning offenders.

The other four aims of punishment could be better achieved by other means - but only if the penal system was adequately resourccd., which is certainly not the case at the present time.

Don't you think we should ask why our country has so many more prisoners per head of population than nearly all other first world countries?

Never, never, never I have always been totally against capital punishment What right have we to do the same as the criminal Are we then any better?
I do believe in longer sentences, that police man has been given 32 life sentences which they equate to 30 years in prison where is the maths in that !!!!
I also think that prison should not be so comfortable for murderers

don’t you think we should ask why our country has more prisoners per head of population than nearly all other first world countries
Yes we should and many of us do. Our current government did its best to destroy any service that provided support to people who are in a trajectory to imprisonment. Their answer appears to be building more prisons.

Very true Iam64.

Other European countries at least make an effort to rehabilitate.

If you brutalise people, a very large proportion who have MH issues and no adequate treatment, what do you expect?

BTW, upthread there was a comment on why do we allow various "entertainments" when we intend to punish?

As long a many prisoners have to spend 23 hours a day in their cells, not to do so would create total mayhem and there are not the warders or facilities to allow more time exercising/classes and so on.

Farzanah

Thank you for reminding about Hislop confronting PP Siope but I did mention near the beginning of this discussion.
I agree with your points Iam64.

And I thought I’d read it all so carefully! Sorry I missed that.

Would those of you who think prisoners have a cushy existence prefer to have them locked up, no TV, no socialising, no books, nothing? Like that idiot Grayling who tried to stop prisoners from receiving gifts of books and magazines? The loss of liberty is the punishment, loss of seeing your children grow, doing the normal things we all take for granted such as popping out to see a friend, taking the dog for a walk, eating what you want when you want. I am not an apologist for criminals, but some people do talk inflammatory nonsense about 'luxury' in prison. If your elderly next door neighbour is eating less than a prisoner, and is cold, it is not the fault of the criminal who is languishing in his/her cell for 23 hours a day.

Are prisoners allowed to use the Internet? Can they join forums, for example?

Boz

Are prisoners allowed to use the Internet? Can they join forums, for example?

No. See the following from gov website

Prisoners are not allowed to access social networking websites (such as Facebook or Twitter) while they’re in custody.

You cannot email prisoners directly, but you can use a service called Email a Prisoner. If you send a message this way, it’ll be printed out and delivered by prison staff. Each email costs 40p and you need to buy credit to use the

No. It condemns someone to be an executioner on behalf of the rest of us. Not acceptable.

Who would dare argue for the death sentence on a thread like this. I don't believe in it in principle but then I am not one of the three families who had a young daughter murdered by Lee Bellfield. Would any of you like to be looking after Lee Bellfield in prison?

I think here in the UK, we as a country are too soft on convicts, criminals etc, becoming a lawless society I read, and I believe so. It doesn’t help that the police force has been drastically reduced over the last years. Some people are getting away with ‘murder’ excuse the pun. About time something was done before all the jails become even more so overcrowded.