We can’t implant successful strategies into a broken prison system and expect it to fix everything—it doesn’t; the results wouldn’t replicate what we’ve seen elsewhere because we 1. Never fixed our broken foundation, and 2. Tried to implement part of a system, but we’re missing the pieces needed to replicate the same results.
The biggest problem I see, and see it everywhere, is people and organizations that niche too tightly. You’ve likely seen the “we do employment, that’s what we do” comments online; the problem becomes tackling employment and employment preparation without tackling societal stereotypes and attitudes, which is less meaningful
We know the current system doesn’t work; at the same time, we know, thanks to the work of some great charities, the support areas that will help improve quality of life for ex-offenders.
We’re lacking true empathy; everyone talks about rehabilitation, re-entry, and reducing reoffending rates, and just typing those words is making me cringe. It’s because I truly care on a deep level. I care about helping service users in prison, empowering them for a successful release, and helping them to get the life they want. I say this all the time, and I’ll say it again:
“The motivation has to be bigger than the fear for you to take action,”
My personal experience helps to put me in a very empathic place when dealing with the issue of the prison system and helping ex-offenders, for example.
A long time ago, I lived in a place dubbed by many as ‘hell on earth,’ There were bars on the shop window opposite a shop that locked up at 5 p.m. because once the sun went down, chaos reigned. You locked the door and drew the curtains till the morning. You couldn’t call the police because, well, they never came; the estate was playground of the drug barons, and other small gangs ran the activity. A murder had taken place, and the murderer was on the run and the boys on the estate were raiding and burning down houses trying to find him one by one every night, so the housing companies boarded us up inside our houses, no, to little natural light, windows constantly open because well that’s how they secured the boards and grids, it was summer and the house would fill with flies and I constantly fought off complaints from my 3 year old about the boards and not being able to have visitors. We lived like that for months, not knowing if I’d live to survive to see 24.
So when I hear about the negative conditions in jails, the violence, not being able to have privacy or control your environment, I had empathy while I have not been in their exact circumstances, I understand what it’s like to have your environment altered beyond your control, be surrounded by violence and have saftey and survival be questionable.
So, let’s get to it and see how we fix it!
It starts like many things do, with purpose; the very first thing is to separate the purpose of the justice system from the purpose of the prison system. They have to be seperate goals. I recently heard Charlie Taylor, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, say the object of prisons is to 1. Keep the public safe by locking up people sent to them by the courts and two to reduce the possibilities of re offending i am paraphrasing you can check out the video below
As part of our inquiry into tackling drugs in prison, we heard from HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, @charlie_taylor6.
— Justice Committee (@CommonsJustice) February 27, 2025
Here he is talking about the scale of the issue and the impact it has on prisoners and prison staff 👇 pic.twitter.com/jB1RJ4yY3U
Here’s the thing: I don’t believe that should be the purpose or objective of prisons. I believe that his first point should be the objective of the justice system. I also believe that to focus solely on reducing reoffending lacks empathy, so although this could be used as a secondary purpose, it needs reframing.
The Plan
Step 1: Purpose of The Prison System of United Kingdom.
- To provide a safe, secure, and healthy environment for prisoners, enabling them to carry out their sentences successfully.
- To provide education, employment, training, and focuses on mental health and relationships and a solid preparation plan for a successful transition back into the community (focused on individualization by giving a prisoner the tools to build the life we want we create the motivation to overcome the fear that often leads to reoffending).
Step 2: The Decision-Making Grid
All decisions by all departments, professionals, or policy makers must use the grid to confirm their validity.
Goals and their activities with short-term impact should be given the highest priority. Long-term goals and their activity should be given the next priority level by importance, i.e, a safety issue has importance over, say, skills training as the no.1 priority should be safety.
Goals that have no obvious effect on purpose should be taken off the strategy list and filed away for the future if necessary. Goals with an indirect long-term effect on purpose should only be considered when there is an affluence of time, energy, and resources to embark on them.
| Goal has short-term impact on Purpose 1 or 2 | Goal has long-term impact on purpose 1 or 2 |
| Goal has obvious effect on purpose 1 or 2 | Goal has indirect long-term effect on purpose 1 or 2 |
Step 3 Quarterly Review
There is a very real need to be proactive in our framework approach, we need to stop waiting for a disaster before we review whether the system is working for this reason a system of a high level review (policy makers/managers) need to be the third and final step and any adjustment discussed at a review meeting.
This framework is designed to give the prison system a simplistic structure that is easy to follow but will deliver real results, which would be evidenced by inspectorate reports as the system is designed to account for and acutely work on the areas reported on during a report.
There is a foundational need to prioritize Education, Employment, and familiar and community ties as these factors are considered key tools to reduce reoffending as well as improve quality of life for ex-offenders.
All strategies to address individual issues such as drug availability and use, violence, access to health care, mental health, conditions of building and cells, time spent in cells, education, employment opportunities, preparation plans for leaving prison quality of food, etc should use the decision grid and identify which purpose they would support, if none should we be working on them.
We need a solid framework that supports successful strategies and a way to assess both. Once this is in place, further research is needed in these areas.
- Longitudinal Impact Studies: While existing research demonstrates the immediate benefits of prison education on recidivism and employment, there is a lack of longitudinal studies examining the long-term effects of such programs on individuals’ life trajectories.
- Effectiveness of Strategies: Comparative analyses of strategies and activities within prison settings are limited, necessitating research into which models yield better reintegration outcomes.
- Impact of DBS Checks on Employment Across Sectors: Current literature often focuses on specific professions; broader studies are needed to understand how DBS restrictions affect employment opportunities across various industries, especially for roles not traditionally associated with high security or vulnerable populations.
- International Policy Transferability: While some countries have implemented innovative prison education reforms, research is needed to assess the transferability and adaptability of these models to different cultural and legal contexts.
Please note, as currently noted, the implementation of any part of this strategy on its own will be less effective; the strategy would need to be implemented as a whole. You can’t build on a broken framework!
Authored by Belinda Mady Sharland © 2025 Belinda Mady Sharland