NCJ Number
178014
Date Published
1998
Length
31 pages
Annotation
This chapter reviews developments in the English and Welsh prison systems between 1975 and 1996 and proposed future changes.
Abstract
The chapter discusses segregation, medicalization and militarization in English and Welsh prisons and the potential of these policies to cause serious disturbances among prison inmates. It also examines the relationship between overcrowding and prison violence. The UK government is experimenting with the privatization of prisons, including secure units for very young offenders and “borstals” for somewhat older children. The performance of the private sector in this endeavor is a matter of some controversy. In addition, government departments have been given more autonomy from central government in order to increase efficiency and make them more sensitive to consumer preferences. Policymakers are considering sentencing changes, and intensifying security and punishment. However, prospects for a critical and empowering reconstruction of prisons in England and Wales appear bleak. Table, references