Fewer than 4,000 of the 84,000 people in British prisons are women. The number has been in decline for some time. The conditions in women’s prisons are markedly better than in men’s prisons. We know from a piece by William Collins that if British men were sentenced with the same leniency as women, five out of six men currently in British prisons wouldn’t be there. The male prison population would fall from around 80,000 to around 13,000.
Introducing gender equality in this area would end the ‘prison overcrowding crisis’ at a stroke.
It’s obvious, then, where we need to place the emphasis on prisoner number reductions, isn’t it? Yes, in reducing the female prison population yet further. The Prison Reform Trust has just secured a £1.2 million lottery grant with exactly that aim in mind. An Independent article on the matter is here.
So 80 % of women are “locked up” for non violent offences the Independent trumpets and then says 70% of men. Of course these % hide the fact that this means that many many more men are locked up for non violent crimes . The logic would be to impact on this issue to the main benefit of the most people one would start with the very much larger number in male prisons. Indeed there is a very good report, the Bradley Report, which details many of the issues to be addressed to reduce reoffending . The issues are actually much the same but of course they impact 80, 000 not 4,000.
Perhaps it’s just easier to address the few women prisoners rather than tackle the bigger problem or perhaps it’s old fashioned chivalry or gender feminism. What it isn’t is addressing the real issues fir the majority of people.
Well, the thing is you see Clay, most people don’t really care about something until it affects them personally….
Do we really need any more information to PROVE their is a war on against men? When will you people FINALLY have enough???
I think all men’s support groups should make a joint bid to the lottery fund. To cut the number of men in prison.
We also need to remind them of their equality duties.
A good point.
To make room for the men who have been convicted of ‘harassment’ and ‘violence’ on twitter.
An interesting article and one that deserves a thoroughly good ‘fisking’, a word that was once common in the ‘blogosphere’ and now seemingly obsolete, much like the word blogosphere (such is fashion).
I didn’t read much but I read enough to see that yet again what women feel and report as being true is accepted as incontrovertible fact, and the fact that a criminal mother is solely responsible for any loss of contact between her and her sexual partner’s children is not mentioned. Never made is the point that children are probably better not brought up by the criminal who gave birth to them.
That notwithstanding, the official rates of depression suffered by men and women can be taken with a pinch of salt, if my experience is anything to go by. My wife, who is able to function without any obvious impairment, was prescribed pills at the drop of a tear, while I, ticking the same boxes on the questionnaire and giving very nearly the same scores for severity – given that men tend to take it on the chin, am told that I’m possibly suffering from depression – possibly, not probably or definitely – and sent on my way with a smile and a ‘suck it up, sucker’. A more accurate indicator of depression in convicts, male or female, might be the numbers committing suicide rather than those bursting into tears at the drop of a hat and whining that they miss their children.
I could go on – as I said, the article deserves a thoroughly good ‘fisking’ but I’m in the mood for fun on this rare rain and other annoyance free summer evening so I’ll leave that to someone else or another day.
I would just add that I think prison is not an effective way of dealing with non-violent criminals and have suspected for a long time that many women might be more appropriately treated in secure mental institutions.
Thanks Lars. I don’t know where you live, but the other day a Danish man took out Gold membership, and we have party members in the United States, Canada, Australia… Details of party membership here:
//j4mb.org.uk/2015/05/04/party-membership/
That’s it, I am joining your party!
Disgusting. £1.2 million going to propagandize, with the aim of further entrenching the two-tier justice system and widening the Criminal Justice Gender Gap.