Prison conditions. How would you change the prison regime?

Oisin Meyer

Do prisoners have it too easy nowadays?

How would you change their regime?

- Longer hours in the cell?
- Bland food?
- No TVs, radio, games
- Fewer visiting hours
- Uniforms

What initiatives would you introduce?

coylemj

I would release all the dangerous criminals and instead populate the prisons with people who are too lazy to write their own social studies theses.

FreudianSlippers

coylemj wrote: »

I would release all the dangerous criminals and instead populate the prisons with people who are too lazy to write their own social studies theses.

lol... I think it's actually more of a concern for himself

http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056103855

FreudianSlippers

Seriously though, what would I do?


I'd sell Mountjoy to make into a museum/apartments/whatever (once the building is retained).

Build a US style supermax prison in the country somewhere with proper security measures and put all prisoners in there. Proper searches, no TV, no phone, no drugs, etc.

Reloc8

US Style supermax prisons are a seriously bad idea - I don't have time to go into detail but will try and get back to the post.

Essentially the fact that less people are known to each other, guards and inmates, increases the likelihood of tension versus smaller prisons. And they are no safer as regards importation of weapons and drugs due to scale.

I don't argue for less secure prisons, but big 'uns are not the way to go.

I'm curious - why no phone (that is I presume you mean no phone access end of story - as opposed to illicity mobile phones) and why no telly ?

FreudianSlippers

Reloc8 wrote: »

US Style supermax prisons are a seriously bad idea - I don't have time to go into detail but will try and get back to the post.

Essentially the fact that less people are known to each other, guards and inmates, increases the likelihood of tension versus smaller prisons. And they are no safer as regards importation of weapons and drugs due to scale.

I don't argue for less secure prisons, but big 'uns are not the way to go.

I'm curious - why no phone (that is I presume you mean no phone access end of story - as opposed to illicity mobile phones) and why no telly ?

I don't think prisoners should have mobile phones and TVs in their cells is all. I know there are cons to the US-style supermax prisons, but I don't think our overcrowded things are any good.

Robbo

Make them listen to a constant loop of Joe Duffy callers blathering on about soft prison conditions, it would be like a penal moebius strip.

Builderfromhell

Unusual thread.
perhaps there is an assumption that the prisons and courts are frequented by scobies only. The way Ireland is going we should see an upsurge in commitals of fine defaulters, tax evaders, creditors etc. A lot of these people are in financial trouble through no fault of theri own. SHould there time in prison be made as uncomfortable as possible.

Reloc8

Oisin Meyer wrote: »

Do prisoners have it too easy nowadays?

How would you change their regime?

- Longer hours in the cell?
- Bland food?
- No TVs, radio, games
- Fewer visiting hours
- Uniforms

What initiatives would you introduce?

Its not an invalid question to ask at all.

But I wonder if serious posters (not that I don't enjoy the posts for amusement as well) would indicate what experience they themselves have of the current prison regime, or what they are basing their perception of same on, as part of their responses ?

FreudianSlippers

I've been in Mountjoy (as a visitor, not a guest ) and the conditions are awful.

I'm also basing my concept on the fact that we're always hearing about the amount of drugs and smuggling that goes on in the prisons.
This is not to mention overcrowding, riots and fairly easy life that these hardened people seem to lead.

I've also seen documentaries about US prisons and know someone whose father designed prisons in Germany. They are made to combat the above problems and although they do not completely solve them, they massively reduce the major problems such as smuggling etc.

detective

More prison spaces. Simple as. That would eradicate temporary release (society's greatest scourge) and overcrowding (which is internally the greatest scourge in the prison).

About super prisons. I don't get the previous posters comments relating to same in that guards and inmates wouldn't be known to one another. Of course they would - that's what wings are for. The number of guards to inmates shouldn't change.

Putting people in jail for not paying fines is crazy too. Why would you pay a E5000 fine when you can go into prison for 17 hours and have it quashed. Madness. Subtract the fine from their dole money in the case of social welfare recipients, whom the majority of prisoners are.

Reloc8

OisinT wrote: »

... the conditions are awful.

...the amount of drugs and smuggling that goes on in the prisons.

...This is not to mention overcrowding, riots...

OisinT wrote: »

and fairly easy life that these hardened people seem to lead.

???

source

Prison is supposed to be about having your liberties taken away for something you have done. I would definitely agree with no phones, TV's, pool tables etc, don't let prisoners have an easy life, make them work in prison.

Have them doing their own laundry, have them on kitchen duties, If someone is say......a teacher, make them hold classes teaching whatever their discipline is to other prisoners, ie, maths, english etc etc... Teaching and getting involved could then lead to reduced sentences.

Doing this would cut down on costs in the prison system for providing the above and would go some way to rehabilitating prisoners. I was watching a US prison documentary on one of the Discovery channels, The warden had reintroduced chain gangs to the prison in order to keep discipline.

People in prison should be made to repay their debt to society by working hard, and not being fed and left to their own devices in prison. If you get them working they may have some sort of work ethic when they're released, once the economy recovers somewhat work placements after prison could be organised to keep these people contributing to society instead of just being released onto the street to re-offend.

sellerbarry

If I want to watch tv, I have to buy a tv/pay licence/pay upc etc. If I want to play pool, I have to go into some establishment and pay by the hour or by the game. If I want a playstation, I have to go buy one. If I want to do a course, I have to go pay for one. If I want 3 meals a day, I have to work to pay for the food and make it myself. Nuff said! They should get nothing. And regarding fines etc. There should be a different system for these type of people.
Maybe someone who defaults on a fine etc should be made to do wpp program to pay off the fine. 40 hours/ 5 days a week. If they don't turn up, then lock em up.

Amazotheamazing

Depends what you want the prison system to achieve, imo.

If you are going down the penal "let's be ultra tough" route then build more smaller prisons where mobile phones are blocked and visitors are properly screened for drugs.

Personally, I prefer to hope some people can be reformed and would like to see the prison system reflecting that. I genuinely don't think ultra tough prisons are much use in reforming people though.

mikemac

Fingal County Council announced earlier this year they didn't have full funding to clean the beaches

Would it be that difficult to get a chain gang into a van and some guards with them.
You could head out early, 7am or so on summers morning

I'd prefer to be outside on the beach then locked in a cell with five other people