Crime and Punishment in Britain since c.1900 - OCR BAlternative forms of punishment

A variety of alternatives have been used alongside the prison system since 1900.

Problems with prisons

Overcrowding

Since 1940, the prison population has risen consistently, for a number of reasons:

• More people are sent to prison for offences such as drink driving.
• Since the 1990s, judges have been allowed to give longer sentences due to a rise in crime.
• Magistrates have issued more short sentences (less than a year).
• Offenders given a fine end up in custody if they can’t pay.
• High caseloads for courts mean that people may spend months in prison awaiting trial.

There has been a severe problem with overcrowding and a shortage of staff. In 1990, there was a serious riot in Strangeways prison in Manchester as a result of overcrowding. It lasted for 25 days and two people died.

Over 25 new prisons were built between 1985 and 2006 to house the growing prison population. There has been a return to using prison ships on a temporary basis, and also private prisons. In 1992, security companies took over the running of some low-risk prisons. They are paid a fixed amount per prisoner by the government.

Reoffending

Some people think prisons are still places that just breed crime rather than tackle it. Most prisoners reoffend, especially young ones, which brings prisons’ effectiveness into question. Prisons are plagued by problems with drugs and even weapons.

Cost

The cost of running a prison is huge. Figures from the Ministry of Justice from October 2020 indicate that it costs, on average, over £42,000 per year to maintain one prisoner in a British prison.

Alternatives to prisons

Probation and parole

In 1907, the Probation Service was introduced. Trustworthy people (known as ‘officers of the court’) were given the job of supervising, advising and assisting offenders. This was an alternative to sending them to prison. At first, these officers had no training and were mainly motivated by Christian beliefs. Over time, they became what are now probation officers - full-time professionals trained in the job.

Since 1967, a parole system has allowed prisoners who show good behaviour to be released before the end of their sentence. They are also supervised by probation and parole officers.

Since the 1990s, electronic tags have been used to monitor the locations of some offenders:

• Curfew tags check the offender is where they are meant to be during particular hours (eg at home).
• Location tags track the offender’s movements at all times to ensure they do not go into any areas the court or prison have banned. They might also check that the offender attends any appointments or programmes they have agreed to.

Community service

Since 1972, it has been possible for offenders to be given a community service order rather than a prison sentence. This sentences them to a certain number of hours of any of the following (or a combination):

• unpaid work
• educational activities
• treatment for mental health or drug-related issues

Victims

In 1990, the Victims’ Charter (later the Victims’ Code) was published. It set out the rights of victims and the support they are entitled to. Victims of crime now have the right to read out a victim’s personal statement (VPS) in court, after a guilty verdict has been passed. This is their opportunity to explain to the perpetrator and the court how the crime has affected them.