Mark Fairhurst: Britain’s Prison Shame

Double Jeopardy - The Law and Politics Podcast

In this episode of Double Jeopardy Ken Macdonald and Tim Owen talk to Mark Fairhurst, National Chairman of the Prison Officers Association, about the long standing and apparently never ending crisis afflicting the UK prison system.

This episode presents an in-depth discussion on the overcrowding epidemic and its root causes including the tabloid driven addiction to ever longer sentences and the failure of all Governments to develop and promote community based alternatives to custody. The result is that the UK has the highest per capita rate of imprisonment in Western Europe and a disastrous record of re-offending.

From overcrowding to under-resourced prisons, private versus public prisons, the genuine threat of violent riots over the summer, the role of the Chief Inspectorate of Prisons, restoring the right to strike to prison officers and sentencing policy, the trio discuss them all with a central theme being the need to reimagine the prison service to prioritise rehabilitation and the reintegration of offenders into society.

They also cover issues related to funding and resource allocation within the UK's criminal justice system and the constant struggle for resources which has led to staff shortages, reduced training opportunities, and minimal investment in infrastructure.

Finally Ken, Tim & Mark look at the potential path to reform, and strategies that can be vital to the much-needed change such as reshaping sentencing policies, enhancing rehabilitation programs, and investing in community-based alternatives to imprisonment.