I was not sure whether to watch this “experiment” on C5 led by former Home Secretary, David Blunkett. Yes, that populist, sound- bite obsessed David Blunkett who replied, when asked about the increased number of women in the prison population, build more prisons. Is Blunkett a reformed character himself, he says he is.
Anyway, Scarborough prison has been reopened, staffed with former prison officers and 10 young men locked up for 10 days.
These young men have committed petty crimes, been cautioned and some have done community service. But have done no prison time. They have been referred, mainly, by their parents who believe that if they get a dose of the short, sharp, shock then it may act as a deterrent and keep them on the straight and narrow. The governor interviews them along with a panel of professionals including Blunkett asking them about their lives and aspirations. Many have low aspirations. Two of the young men leave after a night and 2 nights respectively as they can’t handle being locked up in a tiny cell. One is detoxing.
After a couple of days the young men will be joined by 10 former prisoners who now work in prison rehabilitation. And how these former older prisoners will interact with these young men.
What is the point of this exercise? Will shutting up these young men turn them away from a life of crime? It may open their eyes to what prison is like but if there’s no change in the social and political environment in which these young men find themselves. These young men are insecure but it comes across as fake macho bravado. Blunkett, the governor and the other professionals all emphasise individual responsibility for the behaviour of these young working class men but we need to go beyond this and include collective responsibility. New Labour abdicates their own responsibility and culpability by arguing their own macho authoritarian toughness on crime. This distracts from their own failures and highlights the dictates of neo-liberalism that NL slavishly follow. Criminalising and ASBOisation of these young men just further stigmatises and vilifies. And what are the values that are instilled in these men? Values that are based on a dog-eat-dog, individualistic, alienating, ghettoised and isolating society.
Instead of pumping cash into building more prisons or to be precise, Titans. A stack ‘em high, shove ‘em in mentality will alter nothing instead more and more young vulnerable and powerless people will be banged up. Rather than concentrating on the myopic policies that NL does such as further penalising and criminalising people, they should be tackling poverty, inequalities, improving the educational system and the job market so that young people do actually value themselves.
It doesn’t need any reality telly experiment to explain the obvious, understand a little more, condemn a little less.
Posted by harpymarx 
Posted by harpymarx 
