Banged up on Channel 5
July 7, 2008I 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.
“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.”
OK, I still hope (it’s faith, not evidence) that the way you describe is the best way, but what you say boils down to “Give us another 20 years and we might have *some* positive progress to report”. It’s wearing very thin, and people are not going to be prepared to wait for the advent of an alternative economic system for a reduction in the violence. Continuing with the ‘poverty’ argument, even as incomes and government expenditure have soared since 1997, has created a huge policy gap on the right that has been abandoned to people like Blunkett and Cameron.
To be precise, people criminalise themselves by committing crimes – blaming ‘NL’ for doing that is just evasion.
We need to both understand and condemn, not send the message that you can commit all the crime you like and not be punished for it.
I think Louise is correct.
One of the key arguments is that while Britain has persisted in locking more and more young people up, crime rates have fallen slower here than in comparable European countries that incarecerate fewer people.
Short sentances are particularly useless – but make up over 60 of those sentanced.
The trouble is that the agenda is driven by wanting to appease daily mail editorials, rather than learning from best practice from other countries for comabtting crime.
Why do we always look to Smerica, whose Jusitcie system is a disaster, instead of looking at Norway or Finland, where there are relative success stories?
in my opinion as the post points out
“they should be tackling poverty, inequalities, improving the educational system and the job market so that young people do actually value themselves.”
That is what is needed to undercut crime – locking people up and throwing away the key doesn’t work. But NL (and the Tories and the Liberals for that matter) are tied to the economic policies they are putting forward which excludes the above – hence why their reponse has to always be gimmicky punitive measures.
I agree that prison does not help young offenders. I know from personal experience, as a member of my family has been in prison. He has learning difficulties. He did not get reabilitated and when he was due out his probation officer was asked if there was any support for him and the answer was “no”. The inevitable happened he reoffended. I feel the government and the system has failed him and many individuals like him.
Wow – did you see the latest episode? I thought it was really powerful and gave a taste of the sort of methods that work in helping troubled young men deal with their demons. I was amazed how non-sensationalist the programme was and will be watching tonight. It broke my heart but I think we can all learn a lot of lessons about this.
This show was worth while and i know for a fact it has helped at least 1 of the inmates, who is the brother of a close friend. He has learnt from the experience and got himself onto an apprenticeship. Maybe a few more of these “short,sharp,shocks” could come in handy for many of these lads on the streets.
I’d hate to be in prison cuz one slight bit of gobby you can get beaten up is that true.
i went to school wiv nathan mckenzie and he was a little shit thn we attended the youth project and me and him and lots of laughs.xx