Why our prisons aren’t working, and what’s needed

Despite the imposition of “special measures”, “urgent notifications”, “improvement plans”, and “change agendas” in our prisons, something we mortals are doing is not “quite” working there. This is despite some very good humans doing their absolute best, with all their human strength and might!

We as Christians are called to care deeply about the state of our prisons. There are many references in the Bible to prison and imprisonment (both actual and metaphorical). And we are given a very clear instruction in the book of Hebrews (13v3): “Remember those in prison, as if you were there yourself. Remember also those being mistreated, as if you felt their pain in your own bodies.”

Wherever you sit on the theories of imprisonment debate (punishment or rehabilitation etc), it is probably fair to say that the headlines about “releases in error” from some of our high-profile prisons have risked bringing confidence in our criminal justice system, and in our safety as a nation, to an all-time low.