The idea of prison strikes fear in many people, with this being the case, you wonder why overcrowding is an issue. What can we learn from those closest to it?

With the issue of overcrowded prisons coming to the forefront in recent months it raises the question, why?

Why is there such an enormous number of people being admitted to prison, even though, for the average person, it works as a deterrent.

To most, the vision of cramped, dingy cells and food reminiscent of slop, paired with the fact you are surrounded with societies more unfriendly people, means that they wouldn't even question doing something that could result in their autonomy being removed. But still there have been record numbers of people being admitted, resulting in overcrowding.

Early releases have begun occurring more than ever, appearing to be the government's solution to the issue. Seeming to most, that the people inside aren't getting the justice they deserve. Increased length of prison sentences, mandatory sentences for convictions and a lack of alternatives and preventative measures have been offered as reasons for overcrowding.

Though, if prison isn't seen as being a deterrent by those actually committing the crimes, isn't it obvious that more and more of them would end up being sentenced? To those committing crimes, who have never had their freedom taken, the opinion of prison is that it is an easy ride. A sort of university for criminals to learn from their more successful counterparts, with easy access to illegal substances and potential relations with prison guards themselves.

Having spoken to a criminologist, a former prison educator and a currently active criminal. We can hope to discover what the reality of prison actually is, and if it aligns with a criminal's view. Perhaps offering another reason for the issue of overcrowding.

A Statistical View

The average prison population in the 12 months between March 2023 and March 2024 was 87,129, an increase of 6.5% compared to the previous year. With the overcrowding rate standing at an increased 23.6%, a rate that has been steadily rising since 2021. It can be safely said that the issue of overcrowding has been present for many years and looks like it will only increase, despite the change from the newly appointed government regarding prisoners being released after serving 40% of their sentences, as opposed to the previous 50%.

With poverty increasing and the cost-of-living crisis carrying on into 2025, is it hard to accept that some people may turn to crime to support themselves. Lack of opportunities and lack of education for troubled young people is rife. All of this leads to more and more people ending up in prison.

A criminologist’s view

Hal Sosabowski was a police officer for many years before becoming infatuated with discovering the reasons behind the crimes he was stopping. From that point onwards, he dedicated his life to finding out why crime occurs, eventually becoming a professor in criminology. Hal offers the view that the rise of crime in current times and the government's response to the issues, as a reason for overcrowding, “There's been a spike in crime anyway, which has changed our penal policy” he said

“We used to be quite conservative about sending people to prison for the first time. I think we're less so now. You're more likely to get a custodial sentence for lower level crimes than you once were, and the government's response is just throwing more money at it”

He explained that for most people prison works as a deterrent, but for those with less opportunities and associations with the criminal minded the risk does not outweigh the reward.

In modern times, many criminal’s and young people's view of prison has been formed by videos and photos posted on social media by inmates themselves. The access to mobile devices is a constant issue in HMP and the release of this media is something Hal believes could negatively contribute to peoples view, “I think people don't really think about it” he continued,

“They think, oh, prison's a gas and you can do what you want, and the videos serve some of the misconceptions. I'd like to think any educated person will realise that that's the exception, not the norm”

Regarding education, there is a distinct lack of support for young people susceptible to crime due to austerity measures being taken in recent years. Still, dedicated youth services like Crimestoppers's Fearless, persevere, attempting to make real change despite the lack of governmental support.

Inside Perspective

“These are young men who think they don't have any other choice” said Leonie Quinton, a criminology lecturer at the University of West London. In her early career Leonie was a prison educator, teaching what some would call criminals, but she referred to as “lost little boys”. She connected to these men through music, an outlet often used by those involved in crime to express themselves and get things off their chest.

“Alot of them couldn't even communicate properly, they had been in and out of young offenders' units their whole childhoods and never had a stable education”

Alot of the time, those she taught had issues with controlling their emotions, but all it took was someone to show them some care and attention to find out who they really were,

“When I would first meet them, it would be bravado and a tough guy persona. But once I showed them, I didn't care for that, they often showed their true selves, which were lost little boys who were really hurting”

She described a lack of emphasis on reeducating prisoners and focus on reform from those in charge of prisons as the reason for people re-offending. Many times, they would return to prison after mere weeks. All contributing to the issues with overcrowding.

Describing prisons as inhumane and defunct, she was vocal about the reality for those inside. Work opportunities that paid almost nothing, giving those involved no income for when they were released. Disgusting smells, constant screams and shouting echoed throughout the halls. Alot of the people held in prisons did not expect what they were faced with, and she recounted many of them having the biggest shock of their lives.

“The lack of education about the realities of prison is to blame, as well as the fact that a lot of these boys don't have many alternatives”

Victim or Perpetrator?

When thinking of criminals, an idea of hardened, inherently bad people that enjoy committing violent acts is the most common thing that pops into the head of the public. With the issue of overcrowding, this leaves no sympathy for those involved. Alot of people view prison as too soft and that prisoners should be punished more.

A similar view on the difficulty of prison is shared by Cris, a 26-year-old man actively involved in the distribution of crack cocaine and the assailant in 2 recent knife attacks, for which he has so far, not been caught. Because of this view, alongside never having been convicted, Cris does not fear prison and instead sees it as an eventuality due to the life he lives. Something he is more than ok with.

At the age of 12, Cris was influenced by family members involved in crime to begin selling drugs for them. This was the beginning of a slippery slope that only led to more brutal crimes and an escalation in the criminal hierarchy. This is often the case for a lot of adult criminals, like victims of abuse that then go on to commit acts themselves, vulnerable youth are groomed, resulting in committing crime and eventually becoming that person themselves.

“I didn't really have a choice” he declared, “My uncles and cousins have always been involved in crime, a lot of them having spent time in prison and some even serving life sentences to this day”

His view on prison, a view formed by tales from those closest to him, was that it is “not that bad” and an opportunity to “Smoke weed and lift weights”

Informing him of the realities of prison and information gained from Hal and Leonie; cramped, smelly cells and 23 hours of involuntary hermetism, He said “It is what it is” professing that he would rather “work for himself, earn more money and deal with the risk of prison” than work a minimum wage job all week and still not have enough to live a decent life. Something he has seen his parents fall victim to.

Once again, making it clear that governmental shortcomings regarding wealth inequality and opportunity for those from underprivileged backgrounds has a domino effect that harms the country in the long run.

Some would see Cris’ view as confirming that prison is not the deterrent that it should be, a clear reason for more people being convicted. However, it also raises the issue of a lack of alternatives for those from working class backgrounds. He continued, “If the son of a middle-class family started his own alcohol business, he would be praised”

“But when working class people who have no alternative begin selling drugs of any kind it is seen as evil”

Obviously, the fact alcohol is legal is a clear rebuttal to his view, but it also brings forth the discourse around decriminalization of some substances.

If he were to be sentenced and served time in prison, it would be interesting to see if his view changed, “If I went there I might not want to go back again, but I haven't and I've been told I would be fine, so I'm going to carry on doing what I have to do to get by”

His future is still to be decided, he and many others in his situation share the same view on prison, something that they will eventually face. The reality of that does not scare them. The issue of overcrowding is the result of many complex issues which need to be addressed, mostly from the top down. The penal policy, lack of opportunities and non-existent education for those with the highest potential to commit crimes are all reasons for prisons being overcrowded. The ability to change these issues is in the hands of one group, and one group only. The government.

The Prison Overcrowding Issue – A view from those close to it

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