Are prisons fair and effective?
In England and Wales, we rely too heavily on prisons, which rather than tackling the root causes of offending, pull individuals deeper into a powerful current of crime. Prisons are severely overcrowded, and there are very high rates of violence, self-harm and suicide. Some demographics within prisons face particularly poor outcomes, such as Black, Asian and minority ethnic people, older people and women.
We set out how the prison population could be reduced, and show how education, training and rehabilitative opportunities could be improved within prisons to help people build a brighter future. We call for better conditions within prisons and investigate how outcomes can be improved for Black, Asian and minority ethnic people, older people, women and other groups with protected characteristics.
© Andy Aitchison