Re: Mobile Phones in Prisons.

I'm of the opposite view.

Give them some luxuries(the, radio etc)then take them away as punishment for misbehaving.

If they have nothing where's the incentive?

Since prison reform we hear less of the Jimmy Boyles, McVicars, Charles Bronson etc.

Re: Mobile Phones in Prisons.

The incentive is their release at the end of their sentence (and none of this six years, out after three for good behaviour).

If they behave, they're out at the end of their term. If they offend, their sentence is increased by an amount concomitant with the severity of their misbehaviour.

Re: Mobile Phones in Prisons.

Bronson will die in prison he loves it.......,. except

In the past any hard man that went to the prison he was in he would fight them and win.

Two years ago he meet his match by a hard man and soon after got another bad beating from a 25 year old punk

He tried it again a few weeks later and had another beating.

He's become a model prisoner since.

Re: Mobile Phones in Prisons.

This sort of thing is something I'm aware of. I wonder whether it might be a good idea to have different prisons on a 'sliding scale' to cater for evil 'hard men' and more 'soft' men who have committed more minor crimes. They already have separate wings for 'nonces' for obvious reasons.

Personally, I have no problem with convicts smashing each others' faces in (and worse) provided they are more or less evenly matched!

Re: Mobile Phones in Prisons.

One of my main objections is the movement of prisoners during their sentence.
For example, say a prisoner is sentenced to 5 years at Manchester Crown Court he will begin his sentence in Strangeways. After 6 months he may be transferred to HMP Walton(Liverpool), after a year he may then be transferred to Hull to serve his remaining time.

This only widens the career criminal's network of contacts, broadens his scope of criminality. I'm a firm believer in serving your sentence in your home town or county.

Re: Mobile Phones in Prisons.

That's very true, but why move them? If it's so they can live nearer to their family then that's just their hard luck; they shouldn't have committed the crime.
For what other reasons do they move them?

Re: Mobile Phones in Prisons.

Sometimes it's because the prison they're in us near to capacity and they move them to accommodate the courts next batch.

Also prisoners start with a category, set by the seriousness of crime. As time goes on their category changes so they'll be moved to a prison for that category. For example Strangeways is cat AA, the most secure then there's Kirkham which is cat D, almost an open prison.

So anyone sentenced in Manchester will go to Strangeways, a prisoner may have been sentenced for theft from an employer, this will give him a cat c or d status, low risk so he will probably be moved quite soon to a prison of that category whereas a murderer will stay longer.

Prisoners are not moved nearer their families, the opposite is truer. They will be moved further away if anything.

Re: Mobile Phones in Prisons.

Why can't they be strip searched after visits and any contraband confiscated ?
Or as in films have a glass window so they can't have anything passed to them ?

Re: Mobile Phones in Prisons.

Thanks Terry.

Re: Mobile Phones in Prisons.

Why not indeed? I believe that part of the problem is corrupt prison guards who are happy to bring things in for financial reward. That's disgusting and punishments should be severe.

However, I agree with you that it should be perfectly possible to prevent contraband.