The National Audit Office (NAO) is warning that current prison expansion plans are not enough to meet demand but what happened to being ‘tough on the causes of crime’?
Doesn’t it make more sense to stop people feeling that they need to commit crime – or want to commit crime – rather than concentrating on punishing them for it after the event?
The NAO reckons there will be a shortage of 12,400 prison places by the end of 2027, and the project to build them will be £4 billion over budget by then.
The watchdog has found that the current crisis is a consequence of previous governments’ failure to properly fund prisons – while increasing the length of prison sentences at the same time.
Buy Cruel Britannia in print here. Buy the Cruel Britannia ebook here. Or just click on the image!
The Tories also introduced prison penalties for acts of protest that should be the right of everyone in the UK.
So the answer is threefold – but simple.
First, the prison expansion programme does need to continue. But let’s not get carried away with building thousands more places that might not be needed, because…
Second, the government needs to carry out its planned sentencing review, which is expected to change some custodial sentences into non-custodial ones. This is to be welcomed if there is no good reason to keep offenders out of society. But it should also review whether some activities should be considered criminal at all; by this token, the Tories’ anti-protest laws should be repealed forthwith.
Third, we come to the subject of this article’s headline. Remember when Tony Blair came into office and said his government would be “tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime”? He meant his government would aim to reduce the number of criminal offences that people committed, by reducing their reasons for committing them.
So, for example, crimes of theft that are committed because of poverty can be eliminated by ensuring that we are all able to support ourselves. This would mean those in work should be paid a genuine living wage, rather than businesses relying on the government to subsidise them with Universal Credit benefits that pressurise people to get better jobs or lose cash.
Employers should be encouraged to improve their offer to employees, to ensure that working for them does not cause undue stress and/or anxiety that could create health problems, including mental illnesses that could lead to crimes against property and against the person.
And so on… There are experts on crime who are much better-placed to discuss how to reduce it by means other than post-offence punishment than This Writer.
Increase the general level of contentment in the UK and the amount of crime will fall. That has always been the answer, rather than punishing people for crimes that the authoritarians have dreamed up to put us down.
Vox Political needs your help!
If you want to support this site
(but don’t want to give your money to advertisers)
you can make a one-off donation here:
Be among the first to know what’s going on! Here are the ways to manage it:
1) Register with us by clicking on ‘Subscribe’ (bottom right of the home page). You can then receive notifications of every new article that is posted here.
2) Follow VP on Twitter @VoxPolitical
3) Like the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/VoxPolitical/
Join the Vox Political Facebook page.
4) You could even make Vox Political your homepage at http://voxpoliticalonline.com
5) Follow Vox Political writer Mike Sivier on BlueSky
6) Join the MeWe page at https://mewe.com/p-front/voxpolitical
7) Feel free to comment!
And do share with your family and friends – so they don’t miss out!
If you have appreciated this article, don’t forget to share it using the buttons at the bottom of this page. Politics is about everybody – so let’s try to get everybody involved!
Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
fighting for the facts.
Cruel Britannia is available
in either print or eBook format here:
The Livingstone Presumption is available
in either print or eBook format here:
Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:
What happened to being ‘tough on the CAUSES of crime’?
The National Audit Office (NAO) is warning that current prison expansion plans are not enough to meet demand but what happened to being ‘tough on the causes of crime’?
Doesn’t it make more sense to stop people feeling that they need to commit crime – or want to commit crime – rather than concentrating on punishing them for it after the event?
The NAO reckons there will be a shortage of 12,400 prison places by the end of 2027, and the project to build them will be £4 billion over budget by then.
The watchdog has found that the current crisis is a consequence of previous governments’ failure to properly fund prisons – while increasing the length of prison sentences at the same time.
Buy Cruel Britannia in print here. Buy the Cruel Britannia ebook here. Or just click on the image!
The Tories also introduced prison penalties for acts of protest that should be the right of everyone in the UK.
So the answer is threefold – but simple.
First, the prison expansion programme does need to continue. But let’s not get carried away with building thousands more places that might not be needed, because…
Second, the government needs to carry out its planned sentencing review, which is expected to change some custodial sentences into non-custodial ones. This is to be welcomed if there is no good reason to keep offenders out of society. But it should also review whether some activities should be considered criminal at all; by this token, the Tories’ anti-protest laws should be repealed forthwith.
Third, we come to the subject of this article’s headline. Remember when Tony Blair came into office and said his government would be “tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime”? He meant his government would aim to reduce the number of criminal offences that people committed, by reducing their reasons for committing them.
So, for example, crimes of theft that are committed because of poverty can be eliminated by ensuring that we are all able to support ourselves. This would mean those in work should be paid a genuine living wage, rather than businesses relying on the government to subsidise them with Universal Credit benefits that pressurise people to get better jobs or lose cash.
Employers should be encouraged to improve their offer to employees, to ensure that working for them does not cause undue stress and/or anxiety that could create health problems, including mental illnesses that could lead to crimes against property and against the person.
And so on… There are experts on crime who are much better-placed to discuss how to reduce it by means other than post-offence punishment than This Writer.
Increase the general level of contentment in the UK and the amount of crime will fall. That has always been the answer, rather than punishing people for crimes that the authoritarians have dreamed up to put us down.
Vox Political needs your help!
If you want to support this site
(but don’t want to give your money to advertisers)
you can make a one-off donation here:
Be among the first to know what’s going on! Here are the ways to manage it:
1) Register with us by clicking on ‘Subscribe’ (bottom right of the home page). You can then receive notifications of every new article that is posted here.
2) Follow VP on Twitter @VoxPolitical
3) Like the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/VoxPolitical/
Join the Vox Political Facebook page.
4) You could even make Vox Political your homepage at http://voxpoliticalonline.com
5) Follow Vox Political writer Mike Sivier on BlueSky
6) Join the MeWe page at https://mewe.com/p-front/voxpolitical
7) Feel free to comment!
And do share with your family and friends – so they don’t miss out!
If you have appreciated this article, don’t forget to share it using the buttons at the bottom of this page. Politics is about everybody – so let’s try to get everybody involved!
Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
fighting for the facts.
Cruel Britannia is available
in either print or eBook format here:
The Livingstone Presumption is available
in either print or eBook format here:
Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:
you might also like
Police State Britain: Tories would arrest you for looking at them in a funny way
Foiled! Lords veto Coalition bid to make being ‘annoying’ an arrestable offence
Three cheers for free speech!