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steve freer

Business Development, Ministry Of Justice UK

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Does prison work?

For a certain cohort of prisoner i.e prolific burglar,should we ignore the issues of why they commit crime or intervene and challenge?
I categorise offenders as Bad / Mad and Sad and the burglars usually fall into the Sad category.To ignore their issues and send them back onto the streets as they came in,is failing society and a backward step.
To engage with them ,deal with the issues and send them out work ready is hugely beneficial to all parties.
Reduce reoffending
Reduce number of victims
Reduce cost to taxpayer
Create a worthwhile being who could pass this on to future generations,rather than the alternative of becoming a career criminal impacting on our society in a negative way..

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  • JEFF D.

    • +1
    Jul 20 2012: CLEARLY PRISON DOES NOT WORK. I theorize that the reason of why an inmate decided to break the law in the first place is the problem worth resolving. Much too often the people that break the law, and do really bad things, are those with rough pasts. I think that one cannot change an independent thinker with his or hers own views on life and the world such as criminals, by brute force (example- Plato). If one really wants to change a person, or make then fully understand why their actions and behavior were bad, one has to treat the person as his or hers EQUAL. If a criminal is uneducated due to a lack of education- educate him or her. Do not treat them like worthless trash (make prisons less shiity). Explain to that person why his or hers actions were BAD, if necessary even debate the broken LAW itself- (example Jesus was locked up for teaching people his beliefs). Also explain to them that if someone else commits the same crime it is still bad (don’t exclude yourself). A lot of times people feel rebellious against the world because they believe the government or a special someone or group is above the law.- THAT right there BREAKS the EQUAL idea. For this to work no one should be above the law-if we wish to come to an understanding with each other and the entire world. As of right now we are hopeless, prisons dot not truly works over time. Something I think the government should focus on is the kids in need that are statistically almost destined to end up in prison, physically and mentally.
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      Morton Bast 200+

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      TED StaffHostTED AttendeeTED Translator
      Jul 20 2012: So very true about the need to treat people as equals. Making prisons less shitty seems like such a surface approach to such a deeply rooted problem, but I'm sure you're right that it couldn't hurt if the environment itself sent a less condescending message.
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      Colleen Steen 500+

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      Jul 20 2012: JEFF D,
      You bring up a LOT of good points about things that need attention if we are ever going to change crime and our prison systems.

      One of the most important things you mention is children. You talk about kids, and how we could be better models for our kids. You talk about humans not being treated like trash. I agree...how can we expect people to behave differently, if they are not treated differently? We can't....you are right about that. How can we (adult humans) continue to be poor role models for children, and expect the kids to act/react differently? We can't. If we continue to do the same things over and over again, we will get the same results.

      You say..."the government should focus on... kids in need that are statistically almost destined to end up in prison".

      I agree, and add...we all need to focus on kids at risk. One way we can do this as a society, is to get involved with mentoring programs for kids at risk. These programs are available in most states/cities/towns in the US.

      • JEFF D.

        • +1
        Jul 21 2012: thank you for that reply. i'm glad you understand my point. but just to let you know, i' am a kid myself. i'm only 15. i agreed with your statement about getting involve with mentoring programs for kids at risk, we should!
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          Colleen Steen 500+

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          Jul 21 2012: Hi JEFF D!
          The fact that you are only 15 is even better! You are our future my friend, and your insightful comments ( and comments of other very intuitive, perceptive teens on TED) give me hope for the future!

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