Explain and Evaluate the Role of Prisons in achieving social control - AC3.1 - 3.4

Question 1

How many people are in prison in the UK?

Answer 1

82,176

Question 2

How many prisons are there in the UK?

Answer 2

141

Question 3

What percentage of prisoners are male and female?

Answer 3

Male - 96%
Female - 4%

Question 4

Which ethnicity is most represented in the prison population?

Answer 4

White

Question 5

What age range are prisoners most likely to be in?

Answer 5

30-39

Question 6

How much does a prisoner place cost per year?

Answer 6

£48,162

Question 7

What is the recidivism rate of prisoners within 12 months of release and 10 years of release?

Answer 7

12 months - 40%
10 years - 75%

Question 8

How does Norway’s recidivism rates compare to the UK’s?

Answer 8

2 years - 20%
5 years- 25%
Norway has the lowest recidivism rate in the world

Question 9

What is the philosophy of prisons?

Answer 9

Preventing victims by changing the lives of offenders - rehabilitation for the benefit of society.

Question 10

What are the aims of prisons?

Answer 10

Retribution
Rehabilitation
Deterrence
Punishment
Incapacitation

Question 11

What and how is retribution a successful aim of prisons?

Answer 11

Sense of justice for the victim, offender pays with their loss of freedom.

NO - some may think more severe punishment is just as it doesn’t always provide closure
YES - Victim knows they’re gone and cant hurt anyone else

Question 12

What and how is rehabilitation a successful aim of prisons?

Answer 12

Provides opportunity for training and treatment for addictions and mental health issues.

NO - 40% recidivism rates within 12 months, 75% recidivism rates within 10 years
YES - Not all people reoffend after rehab so it can change behaviour

Question 13

What and how is deterrence a successful aim of prisons?

Answer 13

Imprisonment serves as vicarious reinforcement to wider society that committing crime has serious consequences

NO - Crime still occur in society daily and even after prisoners have been released - recidivism rates

Question 14

What and how is punishment a successful aim of prisons?

Answer 14

Imprisonment serves as a negative sanction associated with criminal behaviour, aiming to decrease it, as well as fines and other punishments handed out for breaking the law.

NO - Some people may prefer being in prison, eg. for a home, food, water, prison for these people is not punishment
YES - Not everyone commits crime because of the fear of being punished.

Question 15

What and how is incapacitation a successful aim of prisons?

Answer 15

Removal of an offender from circulation and holding them securely in prison, prevents further harm in the public.

NO - Harm can still occur in prison and not everyone is kept in prison, only 63 people in the UK, so they will still be released into the public
YES - Temporarily stops those in public from being harmed any further.

Question 16

What is a controversy of Norway prisons?

Answer 16

That they treat prisoners too nicely. For example, Breivik tried to sue Norwegian government for inhumane treatment because he was served cold coffee, had a PS2 and not a PS3, etc. This is a sign that he lost touch that he is actually in prison.

Question 17

How are prisons funded?

Answer 17

By the government out of general taxation - income tax

Question 18

What impact did the fall of funding have on prisons have and when was this?

Answer 18

Fall in funding between 2010-2018 led to staff cuts with a 15% reduction in the number of prisoner officers.
Pay freezes (£21,902-£29,118) led to many experienced prison officers leaving, by 2018 1/3 of prison officers had 2 years experience.

Question 19

How does lack of funding undermine the prisons ability to achieve social control?

Answer 19

Prisoners wont receive good rehabilitation because of the inexperienced staff they can’t handle the complex behaviour
Lack of staff to keep order within the prison
Overcrowding of prisoners increases riots and tension
poor conditions - poor mental health - not effective rehab

Question 20

How many prisons are there in the UK and what type are they?

Answer 20

141 prisons in the UK
16 of these are private, 12/16 are women prisons, 5/16 are young offenders institutions

Question 21

How many prisoners are there in the UK approximately?

Answer 21

1.3%

Question 22

Why was privatisation of prisons established?

Answer 22

To cope with problems of overcrowding and to spread the costs of interning offenders

Question 23

Which companies manage private prisons?

Answer 23

G45 Justice services
Serco Custodial Services
Sodexo Justice Services

Question 24

What is a difference between private prisons and public prisons?

Answer 24

private prisons tend to be newer therefore a higher quality prison life

Question 25

How long can prisons operate until something happens to them?

Answer 25

Contract runs for 25 years, after which the building becomes the property of the prison services

Question 26

What are 3 limitations of private prisons?

Answer 26

Environment is less safe - prison officers tend to have less experience Union believe that they operate with lower staffing levels to maximise profit - care more about money than an individuals rehabilitation and the public Concerns about commercial confidentiality that surrounded the terms under which prisons were being run

Question 27

What are 3 advantages of private prisons?

Answer 27

They are incentivised to operate more efficiently and can bring benefits to the tax payer Argued that public run prisons perform more poorly According to Chief Inspector of Prisons, private prisons are among the best run in the system

Question 28

What is the public's opinion on private prisons?

Answer 28

50% are uncomfortable with them compared to 37% who are comfortable 23% are very uncomfortable

Question 29

What factors might influence the decision for prisoners to be moved further away from their local prison?

Answer 29

Women - only 12 in the UK and may not be in the local area Gangs - move away from rival gangs and gangs they are in

Question 30

What are the different security categories in England and Wales for prisoners?

Answer 30

Category A - Most threatening to the public have to be held in the highest security Category B - threatening but dont need to be held in the highest security Category C - not trusted in open conditions but are unlikely to make an attempt to escape Category D - trusted enough to be in open conditions

Question 31

How do the different prison categories achieve social control?

Answer 31

Makes sure those who are the most capable of crime dont have the opportunity to do so

Question 32

What is operant conditioning?

Answer 32

Behaviour is reinforced through punishment and rewards

Question 33

What is the token economy?

Answer 33

Prisons put up a list of desired behaviours eg. no fighting, do your jobs, etc When these desired behaviours are performed the prisoner will receive a token Tokens then can get exchanged for desired rewards such as extra visitation time, TV in cell, etc

Question 34

What basic behavioural modification do all prisons use?

Answer 34

Incentives and Earned Privileges Scheme (IEP)

Question 35

What are the 3 levels of IEP?

Answer 35

Basic: wearing prison clothing, limited access to phone calls, visits, money, etc Standard: wearing own clothes, opportunities to work, etc Enhanced: upgraded cell furniture, more technology, more access to money, etc

Question 36

can prisoners move up and down IEP?

Answer 36

YES

Question 37

Would the Incentive and earned privileges scheme motivate all prisoners?

Answer 37

YES - they may want to get out of prison because of family or freedom, as well as if they have a longer sentence they may want to feel comfortable whilst in prison NO - Prisoners may not care because they have nothing outside to look forward too. they could put on an act but not change their behaviour outside of prison. Shorter sentences are also unlikely to be motivated because they will be getting out soon.

Question 38

What has happened to the prison population within the last 30 years?

Answer 38

Almost doubled with 43,000 offenders in prison in 1993, compared to 83,000 in 2023

Question 39

How does overcrowding affect prisons?

Answer 39

Ratio of 1 guard every 4 prisoners - struggle to enforce safety and not enough staff to control crime One man cells were often shared with two people - Rises tension within inmates, MH issues staff cant deal with prisoners so they spend most of their time in their cells which decreases the effectiveness of rehabilitation