After restrictions for a year do you feel more sympathy towards prisoners now?

[Gobacktothe90s]

After having restrictions on our lives for a year like when we can go out and see people, whether we can work or go to school etc I'm wondering had this changed anyone's views on prisoners and that they maybe don't have it that easy in prison being locked up 23 hours a day and only allowed out for meals and sometimes exercise?

I have to admit going through this past year I have thought without being able to do what I wanted in my own house like reading, Netflix, gaming etc after being restricted outside I would have found very hard and couldn't imagine being in prison with having nothing to do and can understand the high mental health problems in prisons.

Do you feel more sympathetic towards prisoners now?
Yes I know they have committed crimes but through this pandemic I read that they haven't even been allowed to mix at all and have meals in their cell to avoid the spread. I cannot imagine being in a cell eating,drinking and sleeping and that's it.

I get what you mean op. I'd always thought that prison was too good for some types of crimes and that it was not really that much of a punishment. But, yes, I now think of it as much more of a punishment than I used to.

Yes. How it's the taking away of choice, spontaneity, seeing our loved ones, and a being able to engage fully with each day, that makes people happy and mentally healthy. And it has crossed my mind several times to register how much of a punishment prison actually is. And how appallingly id cope in it.

Yes I do, although I have been going out to work everyday as normal and so I have not been confined to a room for example. But it has given me insight into not being able to see relatives whenever you want and looking forward to a “release date” as another example. And the sheer boredom of it all

Why would anyone think prison was easy? It's my worst nightmare, I would kill myself before I went to prison.

It’s certainly makes me think of that poor lady in Iran, her name escapes me now. She has a daughter and husband here in the U.K.
I always did understand her plight but I get the injustice even more now.

For the people who are wrongly convicted -yes. But I have always felt bad for them irrespective of the current situation.
For people who deserve because of their crime- what's the alternative? Besides prisoners are given opportunities to retrain, gain skills, helped with housing if they are self motivated. For the rest, if they are okay with their life then I would reserve my sympathy for better deserving.

Nope

Not in the least. These people have committed crimes against society - they knew what they were doing and thought they might get away with it. I'd bring back hard labour for the worst crimes - get them thinking about what they have done - instead of watching TV all day and having their food prepared for them.

Ahhh you're going to get a thread full of people who've only read your title 😬😬😬

I never saw prison as easy, but lockdown has really made me think about how bloody awful it must be. Yes, there are many offences that deserve it, but that doesn't make it any less awful. We have so much freedom in comparison, and the 'comfort' of knowing everyone's in the same boat. Imagine being locked up on a beautiful sunny day while life outside the walls carries on as normal. I couldn't cope.

No but they’re not there for a little holiday are they. It’s not easy to get sent to prison in the uk, given the absolutely useless judicial system. I have zero sympathy for anyone who finds themselves in there, where they get fed better than in any council run care home. As for people worrying about their mental health, try worrying about the mental health of their victims.

No. Prisoners don't have to worry about keeping a roof over their heads or feeding their kids. My friends husband is in prison and he most certainly does have it pretty cushy, free entertainment, food, housing and education courtesy of the taxpayer. Settled in nicely I believe .

@wewillmeetagain

Nope! Id say a prisoner with a tv in the cell and sometimes even a PlayStation/xbox, having all meals prepared for them is having a far easier time of it than a single parent who is homeschooling, working and running a house!

I agree. We had a prisoner come on to the ward I was working on years ago. The warden said they aways got asked lots of questions about what it was like. He said they didn't really expect answer of not too bad, especially when they'd get the dvds and computer games out.

No, also whilst there are some prisoners locked in their cells for 23 hours a day it is not the norm for a vast majority.

I always have. Prisons are horrible. Abd sone people love knowing that, getting off on the thought that prison is a hellhole. But prisons should be safe (they are not) and should genuinely support rehabilitation (they do not). Prisom officers are underpaid and poorly resourced, the prison estate is generally not fit for purpose, the level of violence within them is terrifying and the work that needs to be done to prevent recidivism cannot happen. Our prisons are shameful. They were before coronavirus and will continue to be so as long as calls to improve then are greeted with sneering derision about wanting prison to be a 5 star hotel. Which only makes us all less safe in the end, but as long as people get to feel good about prison being awful who cares, right?

No.

Peoples answers are going to depend on whether they believe prisons should be used for reform or for punishment.

Personally I think as a society we should be attempting to reform and treat mental health issues (which are massively over represented in the prison population) so yes I do feel some sympathy for those who are locked up without any of the comforts of freedoms. That doesn’t mean I think they should be compensated by giving them luxuries but I do think that there should be opportunities to at least keep their minds busy in productive ways.

There will always be people that are impossible to reform but they are still human and need some kind of stimulation and routine in their lives.

Not every person in prison is there for rape or murder as some PP seem to think . Most of the women in jail are there for non-violent offences, do you really think most of them deserve the death penalty Jackie2022?

I recommend A Bit Of A Stretch by Chris Atkins... "nice" white middle class man sent to jail for fraud, it is an eye-opener to see how little rehabilitation goes on in prisons. Because the UK justice system is predicated on prisons delivering a mix of punishment and rehabilitation - it is seriously fucked...

I have often thought about prisoners, even before COVID. I follow Amnesty on FB and sign a lot of petitions. As a pp said, there are a lot of political prisoners, many in horrific conditions in prison, for the most minor ‘crimes’. I don’t think this year has made me think any more about them, as I was anyway.

I generally tend to think prison should be for violent criminals (and for those I don’t care too much about). I think there are other ways we can deal with non-violent criminals. To answer your question, no, this year hasn’t changed my thinking about prisoners.

No, but I never really bought into the Daily Mail stories about the outrageous piss-taking luxury that is a spell in prison.

Are you taking the proverbial
What crime have I committed that allowed the Government to inflict this?
None

I have always felt sympathy for the majority of prisoners. Prison doesn't often deter people from committing crimes in future and the whole system needs a serious reform. Countries with the lowest crime rates are the ones that focus on reform rather than punishment.

Yes, very much so - especially over the last year when prisoners have all been on lockdown so not even allowed to socialise with fellow prisoners. I feel particular sympathy for non-violent female prisoners with MH conditions, which is most of them.

If you don't want prison, don't commit crime.

No. It's not comparable IMO.

Mind you, most Mumsnetters are incredibly sheltered and middle class so often don't realise how easy it is to commit crimes when you are desperate and have no other prospects. I'm not talking about rapists and murderers.