Alternative Methods to Prison Sentencing in Britain Essay

More and more people in Britain are being sentenced to jail time: this is a fact. In 2004, there are currently over eighty thousand inmates.[1] (Peter Reydt, 2004 / Scottish Executive, 2003) Crime is on the increase but our prisons are already overcrowded. Consequently, new prisons will be required to accommodate prisoners. Where will the money come from to pay for the construction of new prisons? Will they have a sufficient rehabilitation programs in place? The prison system is obviously failing because it is not acting as a deterrent. Clearly we should now be examining why the system is failing and possible alternatives to prison. What should these alternatives be? Would they work and would they†¦show more content†¦Consequently, all this toughening up on crime just seemed to be adding more and more numbers to the prison population. Jack Straw, the Home Secretary of the time, wanted to increase the use of electronic tagging to try and help ease the numbers entering prison but, on the other hand, he wanted to toughen up sentencing for offenders he described as the worst anti-social crimes such as burglary[5](Cascianni, 2002). This appears that Jack Straw was trying to decrease the prison population but at the same time increase it - a rather contradictory message. Since David Blunketts hard line speeches in 2002, the Howard League for Penal Reform who have been monitoring the prison numbers since 2001, noticed that the actual number of people being sent to prison had been constant until he started making tough speeches about crime and punishment. Since then, up to 500 more people per week have been sentenced to prison - a huge number and a huge burden on the prison service. Because of these increases being placed on the prison population, there is now more of a financial burden on the taxpayer. To keep an offender in prison for just one year, it will cost in excess of thirty seven thousand pounds whereas it would only cost around two thousand pounds to place an offender on a community punishment order (PeterShow MoreRelatedThe Need for Prisons in Britain Essay2046 Words   |  9 PagesThe Need for Prisons in Britain The prison population in England and Wales currently stands at 71,800. According to the Home Office estimate this figure is projected to rise to 83,500 by 2008. Similarly in Scotland, which has a separate legal system and its own private service, there are similar pressures. Prisons can be successful in their four aims: retribution, protection, deterrence and rehabilitation. Reconviction rates are at a substantial low, but is that enoughRead MoreSociological Perspective Of Punishment Is Economic Determinism And Class Interest1459 Words   |  6 Pagessee punishment in relation to the economic structure of society in which it takes place and to the class system, which as a result it promotes by penal practices and ideologies. In other words, the labour market has an impact on the choice of penal methods, and punishment serves the interest of the dominant class. Following from this Rusche and Kircheimer attempted to show that the penal practices in any society is directly linked to the mode of production, they highlighted that a shift from slaveryRead MoreThe Capital Punishment Is Important For Consideration Is Intergovernmental Relations1423 Words   |  6 Pagesto death. The death penalty laws date back to the Eighteenth Century B.C. Death sentences were carried out by crucifixion, drowning, beating, burning, and impalement. The country that influenced the death penalty to America was Great Britain. Most of Great Britain execution was usually done by hanging. The first use of the death penalty in America was in 1608. Captain George Kendall of Jamestown Colony of Virginia was executed for being a spy for Spain. Due to the first known objection of the deathRead MoreThe Controversy Over Capital Punishment2295 Words   |  10 Pageshave to provide alternatives to the death penalty that would make sure the criminals that committed the crimes receive harsh enough punishment that would please those wanting to keep the death penalty. Whether or not they are able to accomplish such a task is hard to say. The death penalty needs to be removed on the grounds that is unconstitutional. The first laws created to kill another human based on wrongdoings is thought to date back to the Eighteenth Century B.C. with methods such as stoningRead MoreShould Incarceration Serve as Rehabilitation or Retribution Essay3510 Words   |  15 PagesRehabilitation or Retribution Should Incarceration Serve as Rehabilitation or Retribution 1 Introduction Incarceration refers to the state of being confined in a prison. It may also mean detention, custody or captivity. This is usually as a result of a crime committed, and serves the offender as a form of punishment. It is meant to deter others from committing crimes, and to rehabilitate criminals. RehabilitationRead MoreThe Ineffective Use of Capital Punishment1445 Words   |  6 Pagestablets were Crucifixion, drowning, beating to death, and burning alive. Britain also used capital punishment for crimes. In the Tenth century they hung people. When King Henry was the ruler as many as 72,000 people have been executed. Some methods for executions during this time were boiling,burning, and beheading. You could have been executed for marrying a Jew,Treasoning, and not confessing to a crime. Capital punishment in Britain had influenced America. When the Europeans settled to america they broughtRead MoreThe Death Penalty Is A Capital Punishment1271 Words   |  6 Pagestwenty-five crimes, that were punishable by death. These crimes included adultery and helping slaves escape. This code was to become the stepping stones of laws of many civilizations to come. In the Tenth Century A.D., hanging became the usual method of execution in Britain. In the following next century, William the Conqueror, king of England would not allow people to be executed for any crime, except in times of war. This did not last, for in the Sixteenth Century, under the reign of Henry VIII, as manyRead MoreThe Punishment Mechanisms Of Probation And Parole Essay1844 Words   |  8 PagesThe punishment mechanisms of probation and parole developed from different social circumstances, which were driven by the need for alternative means to imprisonment. The creation of the mechanisms for probation can be linked to the moral panic caused by the excess consumption of alcohol and the increased amount of alcohol-related offences. In contrast, the development of parole was the result of the systems at t he time, failing to deliver the expected results. This essay will outline the differentRead MoreCapital Punishment : The Death Penalty2027 Words   |  9 PagesHammurabi in Babylon. The first recorded death penalty case took place in the 16th century BC where a man was sentenced to death for his alleged use of magic. The death penalty in the United States was influenced by Britain power over the original thirteen colonies. In the 1700’s, Britain had two hundred and twenty-two crimes that could be punished by death. The first legal execution in the United States took place in Virginia in 1622 where the defendant was put to death for theft (PBS). The first stateRead MoreThe Death Penalty Is Not The Most Effective Form Of Punishment1824 Words   |  8 Pagesever being allowed back on the streets to commit further crimes. The death penalty is a preferred method of punishment because it is permanent; however, it should be avoided because it is permanent. There is too much of a p ossibility that an innocent person could be executed for a crime that they did not commit. An execution cannot be undone. Studies have also shown that the death penalty is a biased method of punishment because disadvantaged people, such as minorities and people of lower social status