Being given a prison sentence, or any other form of conviction puts you on the margin of society, and once removed the path back is exceedingly difficult, in fact in some cases it can be downright impossible. The stigma attached to an ex-offender becomes something of a defining badge. Society, once it has taken a decision to remove a person from itself is largely unforgiving. The argument tends to be polarised between those who feel that offenders should be "locked up, and throw away the key" and those who are deemed as "bleeding hearts". The truth is somewhat less sensational, most people when thinking about those convicted of crime tend to think of the most serious offences, sex crimes, murder, drugs etc, and this gives birth to the stereotype, of the quintessential offender. This is nothing new, the media has always whipped up hysteria in the guise of public service, when the reality is to sell newspapers. If we watch television, children are encouraged to see the burglar as a shifty looking individual with an eye mask, stripy shirt, and a large bag over his shoulder emblazoned with the word "SWAG" the fact that this image is always male serves once more to reinforce impressions.

As a society we need to deicide what our criminal justice system needs to achieve, what are our aims? If our purpose is to punish, using the prison system as the means, then so be it, however, if we recognise that criminality is often the by product of a range of social issues, then we need to devise a system that recognises this, and seeks to solve the issues. Simply locking someone away does not change hearts and minds, in fact it is more likely to reinforce the notion of alienation experienced by those who perceive themselves as marginalised, and put down by society. By addressing the issues, we transfer responsibility from the state to the individual. This is by no means an excuse for unacceptable behaviour, crime is wrong, and needs no apology. It is never right that if you want something that you haven't got, it is ok to take it from someone else. In the retribution model, it ignores the future, retribution offers a remedy for NOW, but what happens when an already resentful person is released? What is the incentive to change? In truth, there is none. The problems that existed when incarcerated are often still there upon release.

What is needed is a fresh approach, prison as a means to cage people is effective, however most prisoners do at some point achieve release, they have been punished. However what has this system done to change behaviours and refocus life. It can be argued that nothing at all! Prison is not a deterrent, yes it separates you from your family, and yes it removes you from society, but the sad truth is that it is often a better alternative to normal home life, you are well fed, well housed, and in the majority of cases treated with respect.
In modern Britain it is no longer acceptable to simply lock people away. It has long been the case that prison does not in itself prevent crime, and reoffending. We need a fresh approach. If we accept the notion of prison as restorative, it gives the opportunity to make the change from offender to acceptable member of society. We need to find novel ways to break the cycle of offending. By giving a person a second chance we are accepting that the former behaviour was absolutely unacceptable, whilst acknowledging the capacity that is there for change.

The key is now seen to be worthwhile training and employment, if we can help a person to work and earn, then they will be making a useful contribution both to society, and to their families. They begin to pay back into society in tangible and meaningful ways. Obviously this approach will not work with everyone, there will always be those who prefer a life of crime, and who contribute nothing, those individuals by definition want to be removed, and it can be argued NEED to be removed. There are also those whose crimes are so heinous that they forfeit the right to be part of society permanently. Fortunately, those people are very much in the minority, and contrary to what you may read in the papers, serious crime is relatively rare. We must accept that you can't help everybody, and there are those who simply will not be helped. We should not be foolish about this, and the priority should be for those who lead law abiding lives, we have to consider their safety. However the fact is that whilst 61% of prisoners reoffend within two years only 19% of prisoners reoffend within 2 years if they have a job. Sadly 57% of prisoners find huge obstacles in getting a job because of their criminal record. The sobering thought is that one fifth, that is 20% of all adults have a criminal record! makes you think doesn't it. One prison governor recently said that "good people can do bad things" not everybody is inherently evil. More often than not circumstances can lead to criminal activity. If as a society we want to reduce crime, we need to address the causes of crime, and then act to put into place mechanisms that will work.

Liberty Personnel believes in the principal of the second chance

Tags: Prison, Retribution, Restitution, Balance