Preventing Crime

47% of prisoners have no qualifications - compared to just 15% of the UK working age population.

48% of prisoners have a reading age below that of an average 11 year old

65% of prisoners have the numeracy (maths skills) of below that of the average 11 year old

[in the general public around 23% of people have the maths and reading skills of less than an 11 year old]

41% of male prisoners and 30% of female prisoners have previously been excluded from school, rising to 52% of young prisoners.

Offenders who undertake prison education are three times less likley to reoffend than those who don't.

68% of prisoners were unemployed in the month before entering custody.

13% of prisoners have never worked

68% of prisoners beleive a job is essential in stopping reoffending

80% of prisoners are incapable of completing a job application form

Ex-offenders often make model employees as they are grateful to have a job and realise that their chances of getting another one are slim.

The cost of reoffending by recently released prisoners has been estimated as £11 billion a year in the UK.

So -  if the Government is serious about saving money as well as reducing the human misery especially for victims of crime it ought to be doing more.

Instead of overcrowded prisons, we need prisons where people can be educated and learn skills and obtain qualifications that will help them secure employment.

Length of sentances, parole and priviledges could be linked to engagement with the education system.

Upon release prisoners need to be found employment - paying employees to take people on could be cheaper than leaving ex-offenders unemployed.

Who'd be a prison officer ?

Just read 'screwed - everybody serves their time' by Ronnie Thompson, "a prison officer reveals what really goes on behind bars." ISBN 978-0-7553-6265-3

Judging by the reviews on amazon, the main debate about this book is how accurate it is and whether there is too much swearing.

Firstly, the book states at the start that to protect former colleagues - the prison described is fictitious, as are the characters some of the conversations are imaginary or re imagined.  So documentary it's not.

As as narrator Ronnie probably captures the essence if not the reality of prison life. I found myself initially quite sympathetic to his 'get the job done' approach but by the end of the book, his drinking, treatment of his girlfriend and son, swearing and bending of the rules to his own advantage was quite tiring. The chapter on the celebrity rock star prisoner seemed particularly fake.  lol.

It does raise lots of interesting issues - are prisons under staffed ? are the regimes achieving what they aim to ? how extensive are the problems of drugs, smuggled phones and corruption?  What can be done to tackle them ?  Do prison staff get enough support ? 

Overall, the impression is that like many big organisations, procedures are out in place but they are unrealistic - so create more problems than they solve.

Is there too much swearing ?  Well again, it's probably indicative of conversations in prison, but in a book it was repetitive, came across as gratuitous, the lack or variation and very misogynistic nature of the swearing was very off putting.

If the aim was to get people to have a bit more sympathy and understanding of the role of a prison officer, it suceeded with me at least.