Do You Think Some People Like Being In Prison?
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Is it really a deterrant to some?
I wonder if some people just can't cope or function on the outside, they cope best with rules and routine. Also perhaps some really have literally nothing on the outside. No friends no family maybe no roof over their heads in some cases.
The other thing is that as ex offenders will perhaps struggle to find a job or a clean start in life they may decide just to keep on going back to prison.
You might even get a few who enjoy going there cos they like all the aggro, they might thrive in such a hostile environment.
Thoughts?
I wonder if some people just can't cope or function on the outside, they cope best with rules and routine. Also perhaps some really have literally nothing on the outside. No friends no family maybe no roof over their heads in some cases.
The other thing is that as ex offenders will perhaps struggle to find a job or a clean start in life they may decide just to keep on going back to prison.
You might even get a few who enjoy going there cos they like all the aggro, they might thrive in such a hostile environment.
Thoughts?
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Yes i think thats perhaps a big part of it. They don't much like life in the outside world either.
It's a massive deterrent to me. I would lose my house, my job, my freedom, possibly my family etc.
For those with nothing to lose, it may not be such a deterrent.
You hear of some prisoners becoming institutionalised. They know where they are in that environment, so to speak, and may have learned how to navigate that system. Also many people on release from prison may find it difficult to be accepted by society at large, in terms of things like gaining employment.
Yep, the only people prison is a deterrent to are decent law abiding citizens who would never dare do anything to warrant ending up there.
Long term prisoners can easily become institutionalised. They get used to the routine, they make friends, they may even gain a certain level of respect and admiration. They may have some form of employment that breaks up the day.
When they are released they lose all of that, outside they are generally nothing but an "ex con". They have little structure, may even have completely lost touch with friends and family, have little choice on where to live and risk homelessness etc. To ex prisoners that end up in that situation I can understand why many may chose to commit another crime and prefer to be back inside.
There's been a couple of interesting documentaries on such subjects recently.
Long term prisoners get a certain level of support, many get help with housing, budgeting, help with claiming benefits etc. Some even learn a trade when inside which can help them get employment outside. Unfortunately that isn't consistent, some prisons offer none of that.
But short term prisoners get none of that help at all. They are released at the gates with their £40 odd pound allowance and sent on their way, left to their own devices. Often they end up right back in whatever situation, and amongst the same people that got them into trouble in the first place.
I don't think they are law abiding to be in prison. Strange comment.
It's a deterrent to me, it would fk my life up good and proper getting sent down. So not universally true.
Well yeah, that's exactly my point. I'm saying that decent people would find it a deterrant. Scrotes who choose to live outside the law don't see it that way.
I don't know if he liked it inside but he certainly didn't care about been there even when he got out he more than once committed a crime (usually assault-mugging) the same day.
Well yes that's obvious.
Exactly its a huge deterrent to me also.
Our prisoners certainly have it easy compared to Third World countries, but our prisons seem remarkably similar to those of most other developed Western nations, and some countries have a far "cushier" prison regime than we do, check out Norway's prison system for example. But maybe that isn't a bad think, Norway has supposedly cut re offending rates by concentrating on rehabilitation rather than having the focus on punishment. They';re doing something right if that is the case, surely?.
I believe that prison is nowhere near tough enough to act as a deterrent. I don't believe in torture, but it should have the very basics you need to survive: basic food, hard work, no TVs, games consoles or entertainment, apart from educational books, no phone calls home, and one family visit per month.
i agree prisons should be harsher to be a deterrent..
the same goes for some long term, multi-generational benefits claimants, it becomes the norm, their comfort zone if you will.
The prison reward system that allows the use of a TV or games console for prisoners who behave is not there to benefit prisoners, it is primarily to encourage good behaviour making it safer and easier for prison officers and staff. If prisoners misbehave, don't engage with productive work where available, or take part in rehabilitation programmes if on offer then those privileges get removed as punishment. It's one of the main reasons that our prisons are nowhere near as violent as prisons in many other countries are, and why things like large scale riots for example are relatively rare here.
I wish I hadn't as they they were up for serious GBH and actually were not bothered whether they were found guilty or not as they had many mates inside and said it was pretty easy when you knew people.
Not bothered about the victim of course.
Which I think says a lot about the system at the moment.
The prison system in Singapore (although a lot stricter than ours) also focuses a lot more on rehabilitation and the reoffending rates are far less over there too.
For Homeless people prison must be far better than the life they have as they at least get a roof a bed and 3 meals a day far better than sleeping on the floor or a bench if they are lucky no matter what the weather is and having to go though bins and pick up scraps of food off the floor.
There wouldn't be so many homeless people if that were the case. If I were homeless at least I would still have my freedom and hope that I could improve my situation. For other people drugs and alcohol maybe involved, and they would rather have them and live on the street, over being clean and in prison.