No new jail for women and youths
Wednesday 19th August 2009, 2:30PM BST.
LES NICOLLES PRISON will never meet the needs of women and young offenders, according to a report released today.
But the Home Department said it would not be asking the States for funds to extend the facility or build new premises to cater for such inmates.
HM Inspector of Prisons Dame Anne Owers’ report was based on the findings of an unannounced recent inspection.
‘We do not consider that the prison will ever be able adequately to cater for the particular needs of women or children and we once again call on the Home Department to consider alternative options for these groups,’ she said.
She said neither the accommodation nor the activities available for women were satisfactory. However, she praised the prison for making significant improvements in several other areas.
Home minister Geoff Mahy said his department recognised the problem with women and children and would attempt to deal with it using the current buildings.
‘We cannot say to the inspectors – or to the public – no problem, we will spend a few million pounds on building new premises. That is unrealistic and it would not be cost effective and neither would it be to send women and young offenders off-island. I am sure the prisoners would not wish it and it would be very expensive.’
He said the inspectors had a blinkered view of multi-category prisons and that it would be better to focus on developing a working prison where inmates could take part in productive activities.
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I heard the prison governor speaking on Radio G this morning.
Commenting on the alarming amount of time that inmates spend locked up in their cells in this newly built prison, the governor remarked that prisoners are there to lose their liberty.
Has he been taking a correspondence course on prison administration? When he takes a more advanced course he will learn that being in prison is itself the loss of liberty.
Punishing prisoners by locking them in their cells is unwarranted punishment and, in a fair society, would be compensated for by a reduction in the sentence.
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I totally disagree with the previous comments.If prisons were a far harsher environment,they would act as a more effective deterrent to those serial offenders who persist in breaking the law. the softly softly approach just does not work.
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‘You do the crime you do the time’. Most of the inmates are not local. On their release send them back to their own countries. Better still, why don’t we have an agreement whereby if a ‘none local’ commits a crime here in Gsy and is locked up, then the country of his/her birth pays for their time spent in our prison.
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Would it not be better if workshops are built at the prison so as to give all inmates a chance to work making items that could be sold to the good people of Guernsey ? this would give the prison an income that would help with the running and upkeep and give the Guys and Girls a chance to find what skills they have and to prepare them for their release. I do understand that the inmates have commited crimes and need punishment but surley losing their liberty IS the punishment! ? Making them work for their keep will save the taxpayer a few bob too .
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I should imagine HM Inspector of Prisons will not be too impressed with a rich jurisdiction like Guernsey (a wealthy ‘tax haven’ in UK eyes) saying it doesn’t have the money to implement the recommendations made. “Why not?” or “What rot!” he might reasonably retort.
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naseby – I guess it depends on whether you believe that criminals commit crimes purely because it is in their nature (in which case a deterrent is required) or due to the circumstances in which they find themselves in life (in which case, training them, giving them a reason to believe in themselves, giving them a reason to participate properly in society, etc are all steps necessary to get them and their family members out of the cycle of crime).
I believe that most people are not born criminals and that most people resort to crime because of lack of self worth, a feeling that society offers them nothing, etc. On that basis, I believe that simply locking up criminals and leaving them to rot is short sighted and perpetuates the problem – so that we all suffer.
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If you have a roof over your head, three meals a day and access to a toilet (and exercise), then I do not see why young offenders or women need other facilities. We are all human and have the same basic physical needs. I do not agree with providing alternative arrangements baased on sex or age, it is not a holiday camp.
It had previously been discussed having a laundry serve at the Prison, to be used by the Hospital etc. would be a good idea in more ways than one.
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there’s nothing like the hypocrisy of the arrogant. what’s causing the bad self worth master of the universe? maybe if you stopped patronising people it might help
how can you identify that whilst maintaining the other line? you must believe in progressive taxation. hahahahaha right. will the last fat pig turn the lights back on when you leave
*and relax*
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who tugged your tail Sparky?
so a liberal social conscience is exclusively for those with an indiscriminate distrust of the entire capitalist system is it? maybe your grasp on reality or your understanding of what you criticise is not as great as you think.
but to bring it back on topic, do you agree with my post above or have any view on custodial punishment? I’d like to know if we agree on something.
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TL
I agree with you. The loss of liberty is punishment enough. Rates of reoffending will only fall when a system for successfully rehabilitating is found. The support services like Probation need much more funding to provide the ex con the skills to be confident to take that second chance. In reality what happens is that they come out, feel immediately alienated and rejected and the inner shame breeds resentment and that feeling of nothing to lose that tips the balance when faced with the choice of wrong or right.
So more money in the right place, less reactionary judgement and an understanding that society creates the antisocial and it is all of our responsibility to try and prevent it happening in the first place.
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Arnald – I am strangely satisfied that we agree on something!
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TL
Arnald – I am strangely satisfied that we agree on something!
and the rest of us are in shock )))))
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Given the courts absolute reluctance to send females to prison here we don’t need a facility just for them. have a look in the press at the sentences handed out to females by our courts we bang males up for anything (we are near the top of the world rankings for sending people to do bird.)but females can do crime with no fear of incarceration. I hope this stirres up some debate!
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Kevin, your point would stir up debate if it were factually accurate. Perhaps you could back up your claims with some solid facts, rather than hearsay from the Press?
For starters, if women truly had no fear of incarceration, how do you explain their attendance at church prison services? I used to take church services in Prison and there were nearly always women there. I know the meetings were good but I can’t imagine women breaking in to attend them, can you?
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paul le p
How many women attended your prison church services? you neglegt to say. Further, prove my statement is not factually accurate. The number of females in jail should directly correlate to the amount of crime committed by women (crimes which would result in a custodial sentence) it does not, as someone of your undoubted experience knows full well.Whilst you cannot believe everything you read in the papers are you suggesting the press reports court cases innaccurately?
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Kevin – first, with respect it is your responsibility to prove your assertion with hard facts, rather than conjecture based on your reading of the local Press. If you can come up with similar cases involving men and women clearly showing that the man got a prison sentence and the woman didn’t then perhaps your argument would carry some weight.
My assertions were in response to your view that women (I quote) “can do crime with no fear of incarceration” and your insistence that the courts demonstrated (again I quote) “an absolute reluctance to send females to prison.” The fact that there were any women in prison at all proves both these statements false, as they would not be there if the courts were absolutely reluctant to send them there!
Second, during my prison visits the number of women would vary but we’d usually get a reasonable percentage – often between 2 and 4 among a total of roughly 6-10. Incidentally they also tended to be more regular than many of the men. I would also add that everyone there was impeccably behaved and we enjoyed some good banter.
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Shorter prison sentences served in solitary is the answer- then they wouldnt have to mix.
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Paul le p,
I’m not getting into a slanging match with you over this so this will be my last post on this subject. I think the public will decide who’s right on this as unlike you I don’t have time to enter into hours of research. I feel my gut feeling is correct and your reluctance to mention what the female population in relation to the male one was on your visits speaks volumes. Why you feel the need to mention impeccable behaviour and banter is revealing. On my visits to the prison averyone regardless of gender was well behaved and banter was had by all. as the thread of most of your posts tend to offer advice I say Stop playing with words and stop talking down to people thats my advice for you.
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Ah, so it’s “gut feeling” upon which we should base our policies, now.
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