Prison reform
Juliet Lyon argues that the prison system in Britain is in need of serious and significant change
Prison is a place where people are sent as a punishment, not for further punishments… Human beings whose lives have been reckoned so far in costs – to society, to the criminal justice system, to victims and to themselves – can become assets – citizens who can contribute and demonstrate the human capacity for redemption.
These were the words of Michael Gove, the incoming secretary of state for justice, in July this year. For Friends, and others with a longstanding commitment to prison reform, this was a welcome reassertion of the principles which should underpin any civilised penal system. So far so good. However, the justice secretary has inherited a system that is deteriorating both on internal and external measures, and a requirement to carve anything from twenty-five per cent to forty per cent out of its budget over the next five years.
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