Social Control » Prison System

What you'll learn this session

Study time: 30 minutes

The purpose and functions of the prison system
Different approaches to punishment and rehabilitation
Issues and criticisms of the modern prison system
Alternatives to imprisonment
Key case studies and statistics about UK prisons

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Introduction to the Prison System

The prison system is a key part of social control in modern society. It's where people who break the law can be sent as punishment, to protect the public and (in theory) to help offenders change their behaviour. But prisons are complicated places that do more than just lock people up.

Key Definitions:

Social Control: The methods society uses to encourage people to follow rules and norms.
Formal Social Control: Official systems like prisons, police and courts that enforce laws.
Prison: An institution where offenders are confined and denied freedoms as punishment.
Recidivism: When someone who has been in prison commits another crime after release.

🚫 Punishment

Prisons punish offenders by taking away their freedom. This serves several purposes:

Retribution - society getting "payback" for crimes
Deterrence - discouraging others from committing crimes
Incapacitation - physically preventing offenders from committing more crimes

🛠 Rehabilitation

Modern prisons aim to help offenders change their behaviour through:

Education and skills training
Counselling and therapy
Drug and alcohol treatment programmes
Preparing for life after release

Approaches to Imprisonment

Different societies and time periods have had very different ideas about what prisons should be like and what they should achieve.

💬 Conservative

Focuses on punishment and deterrence. Believes in "tough on crime" approaches with longer sentences and harsher conditions. Views crime as a personal choice.

📖 Liberal

Emphasises rehabilitation and reform. Believes prisons should help offenders change and prepare for reintegration into society. Focuses on education and treatment.

⚖ Radical

Questions whether prisons work at all. Sees them as institutions that reinforce inequality. Advocates for alternatives to imprisonment and addressing root causes of crime.

Issues in the Prison System

Despite their important role in social control, prisons face many challenges and criticisms:

Overcrowding

Many UK prisons hold more inmates than they were designed for. This creates problems like:

Limited access to education and rehabilitation programmes
Poor living conditions and health issues
Increased violence and tension
Staff struggling to maintain control and safety

In 2023, over 60% of prisons in England and Wales were officially overcrowded.

Reoffending Rates

A key measure of whether prisons "work" is whether people who leave prison go on to commit more crimes. The statistics aren't encouraging:

About 42% of adult prisoners reoffend within a year of release
For those serving short sentences (less than 12 months), the rate is nearly 60%
For young offenders, reoffending rates can be even higher

These high rates suggest prisons often fail at rehabilitation and preventing future crime.

Case Study Focus: The Cost of Imprisonment

Keeping someone in prison is extremely expensive:

It costs approximately £44,000 per year to keep one person in prison in the UK
For young offenders, this rises to around £76,000 per year
The total annual cost of the prison system in England and Wales is over £4 billion

Many sociologists and economists question whether this money could be better spent on crime prevention, education, mental health services, or community programmes.

Social Inequality in the Prison System

Prisons don't affect all groups in society equally. There are significant patterns of inequality:

Class: People from poorer backgrounds are much more likely to be imprisoned
Race: Black people are disproportionately represented in UK prisons (making up about 13% of prisoners but only 3% of the general population)
Mental Health: Around 70% of prisoners have mental health issues
Education: Over half of prisoners have literacy skills below those expected of an 11-year-old

These patterns suggest that prisons may reinforce existing social inequalities rather than simply punishing criminals.

Alternatives to Prison

Given the problems with prisons, many sociologists and criminologists advocate for alternative approaches:

📅 Community Sentences

Offenders serve their sentence while remaining in the community. This might include:

Unpaid work (community service)
Curfews with electronic monitoring (tags)
Regular meetings with probation officers
Drug or alcohol treatment requirements

These can be more effective at reducing reoffending for many types of crime.

🤝 Restorative Justice

Focuses on repairing harm rather than just punishing offenders. Typically involves:

Meetings between offenders and victims
Offenders understanding the impact of their actions
Making amends to victims and the community
Addressing underlying issues that led to the crime

Studies show this can reduce reoffending by up to 14% and provide better satisfaction for victims.

Case Study Focus: Nordic Prison Models

Countries like Norway, Sweden and Finland take a very different approach to imprisonment:

Focus on rehabilitation rather than punishment
Prison conditions designed to mirror normal life as much as possible
Emphasis on maintaining family ties and preparing for release
Much lower reoffending rates than the UK (Norway's is around 20% compared to the UK's 42%)

Halden Prison in Norway is often cited as an example. It has comfortable rooms, shared kitchens and extensive education facilities. Guards are trained to act as mentors and role models rather than just security.

Sociological Perspectives on Prisons

Functionalist View

Functionalists see prisons as necessary institutions that help maintain social order by:

Removing dangerous individuals from society
Deterring others from committing crimes
Reinforcing social norms about acceptable behaviour
Providing rehabilitation to reintegrate offenders

They view prisons as serving the needs of society as a whole.

Marxist View

Marxists see prisons as tools of class control that:

Punish the working class while ignoring crimes of the powerful
Create a "criminal class" that divides workers
Protect property and wealth of the ruling class
Distract from the real causes of crime (inequality and poverty)

They point to the over-representation of poor people in prisons as evidence.

Conclusion: Evaluating the Prison System

The prison system remains a central part of social control in the UK and most modern societies. However, there are serious questions about how effective it is at reducing crime, rehabilitating offenders and creating a safer society.

For your iGCSE Sociology exam, you should be able to:

Explain the different functions of prisons (punishment, deterrence, rehabilitation)
Discuss the problems and criticisms of the prison system
Compare different approaches to imprisonment
Evaluate alternatives to prison
Apply sociological perspectives to understand prisons as institutions of social control

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