The role of the prison in new Britain

Abstract

The prison system which we have at present in England and Wales is less than perfect. It costs the taxpayer almost £2 billion each year. There is ambivalence about the extent to which it protects society and contributes to crime prevention. The conditions in which prisoners are held are frequently described as being either too austere or too luxurious. One has to ask to what extent the traditional model of imprisonment remains relevant at the end of the 20th century. Over the last 200 years, the stocks, public execution and transportation have been removed from our criminal justice system. To what extent does the notion of imprisonment remain relevant as we move towards the 21st Century? This paper considers possible options.