Life at HMP Birmingham: The prisoners are in control'.

Mindful

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Sep 5, 2014
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One prisoner tells Sky's Tom Parmenter that the prison is a "disgrace" after he was stabbed in the stomach and "battered".

Finally walking out of prison and considering what freedom may bring.

For the latest inmates to leave HMP Birmingham it was just pure relief - checking out of Britain's worst jail means you might actually feel safer.

Some spoke to Sky News following the news that the Ministry of Justice is stepping in to take over the running of the prison after the government decided private contractor G4S could not cope

One man in his 40s, who greeted his wife outside the gates after 11 months inside, said he had applied to be classed as a "vulnerable prisoner" so that he could be segregated away from the violence.

It meant he was placed on a sex offenders wing even though he wasn't a sex offender.

"I've been stabbed four times whilst being in there," he said.


Life at HMP Birmingham: 'The prisoners are in control'
 
One prisoner tells Sky's Tom Parmenter that the prison is a "disgrace" after he was stabbed in the stomach and "battered".

Finally walking out of prison and considering what freedom may bring.

For the latest inmates to leave HMP Birmingham it was just pure relief - checking out of Britain's worst jail means you might actually feel safer.

Some spoke to Sky News following the news that the Ministry of Justice is stepping in to take over the running of the prison after the government decided private contractor G4S could not cope

One man in his 40s, who greeted his wife outside the gates after 11 months inside, said he had applied to be classed as a "vulnerable prisoner" so that he could be segregated away from the violence.

It meant he was placed on a sex offenders wing even though he wasn't a sex offender.

"I've been stabbed four times whilst being in there," he said.


Life at HMP Birmingham: 'The prisoners are in control'
Maybe it will deter them from re-offending ?
 
One prisoner tells Sky's Tom Parmenter that the prison is a "disgrace" after he was stabbed in the stomach and "battered".

Finally walking out of prison and considering what freedom may bring.

For the latest inmates to leave HMP Birmingham it was just pure relief - checking out of Britain's worst jail means you might actually feel safer.

Some spoke to Sky News following the news that the Ministry of Justice is stepping in to take over the running of the prison after the government decided private contractor G4S could not cope

One man in his 40s, who greeted his wife outside the gates after 11 months inside, said he had applied to be classed as a "vulnerable prisoner" so that he could be segregated away from the violence.

It meant he was placed on a sex offenders wing even though he wasn't a sex offender.

"I've been stabbed four times whilst being in there," he said.


Life at HMP Birmingham: 'The prisoners are in control'
Wanna know how to handle a rough prison?





don't break the law



I know that seems simple, but it's worked for me for 52 years
 
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  • #5
One prisoner tells Sky's Tom Parmenter that the prison is a "disgrace" after he was stabbed in the stomach and "battered".

Finally walking out of prison and considering what freedom may bring.

For the latest inmates to leave HMP Birmingham it was just pure relief - checking out of Britain's worst jail means you might actually feel safer.

Some spoke to Sky News following the news that the Ministry of Justice is stepping in to take over the running of the prison after the government decided private contractor G4S could not cope

One man in his 40s, who greeted his wife outside the gates after 11 months inside, said he had applied to be classed as a "vulnerable prisoner" so that he could be segregated away from the violence.

It meant he was placed on a sex offenders wing even though he wasn't a sex offender.

"I've been stabbed four times whilst being in there," he said.


Life at HMP Birmingham: 'The prisoners are in control'
Wanna know how to handle a rough prison?





don't break the law



I know that seems simple, but it's worked for me for 52 years

Does that excuse the state of that prison, in which some of the wardens are 18 years old, with two weeks training?
 
One prisoner tells Sky's Tom Parmenter that the prison is a "disgrace" after he was stabbed in the stomach and "battered".

Finally walking out of prison and considering what freedom may bring.

For the latest inmates to leave HMP Birmingham it was just pure relief - checking out of Britain's worst jail means you might actually feel safer.

Some spoke to Sky News following the news that the Ministry of Justice is stepping in to take over the running of the prison after the government decided private contractor G4S could not cope

One man in his 40s, who greeted his wife outside the gates after 11 months inside, said he had applied to be classed as a "vulnerable prisoner" so that he could be segregated away from the violence.

It meant he was placed on a sex offenders wing even though he wasn't a sex offender.

"I've been stabbed four times whilst being in there," he said.


Life at HMP Birmingham: 'The prisoners are in control'
Wanna know how to handle a rough prison?





don't break the law



I know that seems simple, but it's worked for me for 52 years

Does that excuse the state of that prison, in which some of the wardens are 18 years old, with two weeks training?
Well if that's true, that's a bit shocking.


It's really really hard to explain the challenges of keeping criminals from committing crimes.

to be perfectly honest, prisons don't suck enough.
 
  • Thread starter
  • Banned
  • #7
One prisoner tells Sky's Tom Parmenter that the prison is a "disgrace" after he was stabbed in the stomach and "battered".

Finally walking out of prison and considering what freedom may bring.

For the latest inmates to leave HMP Birmingham it was just pure relief - checking out of Britain's worst jail means you might actually feel safer.

Some spoke to Sky News following the news that the Ministry of Justice is stepping in to take over the running of the prison after the government decided private contractor G4S could not cope

One man in his 40s, who greeted his wife outside the gates after 11 months inside, said he had applied to be classed as a "vulnerable prisoner" so that he could be segregated away from the violence.

It meant he was placed on a sex offenders wing even though he wasn't a sex offender.

"I've been stabbed four times whilst being in there," he said.


Life at HMP Birmingham: 'The prisoners are in control'
Wanna know how to handle a rough prison?





don't break the law



I know that seems simple, but it's worked for me for 52 years

Does that excuse the state of that prison, in which some of the wardens are 18 years old, with two weeks training?
Well if that's true, that's a bit shocking.


It's really really hard to explain the challenges of keeping criminals from committing crimes.

to be perfectly honest, prisons don't suck enough.

I was listening to a former prisoner of that place, relating horror stories earlier today. Some prisoners cowering in their cells, afraid to come out. Terrified of other prisoners, who "rule" the prison. Apart from the filth, vomit, cockroaches, and drugs which infest the building.
 
One prisoner tells Sky's Tom Parmenter that the prison is a "disgrace" after he was stabbed in the stomach and "battered".

Finally walking out of prison and considering what freedom may bring.

For the latest inmates to leave HMP Birmingham it was just pure relief - checking out of Britain's worst jail means you might actually feel safer.

Some spoke to Sky News following the news that the Ministry of Justice is stepping in to take over the running of the prison after the government decided private contractor G4S could not cope

One man in his 40s, who greeted his wife outside the gates after 11 months inside, said he had applied to be classed as a "vulnerable prisoner" so that he could be segregated away from the violence.

It meant he was placed on a sex offenders wing even though he wasn't a sex offender.

"I've been stabbed four times whilst being in there," he said.


Life at HMP Birmingham: 'The prisoners are in control'
Wanna know how to handle a rough prison?





don't break the law



I know that seems simple, but it's worked for me for 52 years

Does that excuse the state of that prison, in which some of the wardens are 18 years old, with two weeks training?
Well if that's true, that's a bit shocking.


It's really really hard to explain the challenges of keeping criminals from committing crimes.

to be perfectly honest, prisons don't suck enough.

I was listening to a former prisoner of that place, relating horror stories earlier today. Some prisoners cowering in their cells, afraid to come out. Terrified of other prisoners, who "rule" the prison. Apart from the filth, vomit, cockroaches, and drugs which infest the building.
well good

prison should suck


think those guys, living in fear, will think twice about robbing you?

bet they do
 
One prisoner tells Sky's Tom Parmenter that the prison is a "disgrace" after he was stabbed in the stomach and "battered".

Finally walking out of prison and considering what freedom may bring.

For the latest inmates to leave HMP Birmingham it was just pure relief - checking out of Britain's worst jail means you might actually feel safer.

Some spoke to Sky News following the news that the Ministry of Justice is stepping in to take over the running of the prison after the government decided private contractor G4S could not cope

One man in his 40s, who greeted his wife outside the gates after 11 months inside, said he had applied to be classed as a "vulnerable prisoner" so that he could be segregated away from the violence.

It meant he was placed on a sex offenders wing even though he wasn't a sex offender.

"I've been stabbed four times whilst being in there," he said.


Life at HMP Birmingham: 'The prisoners are in control'
Wanna know how to handle a rough prison?





don't break the law



I know that seems simple, but it's worked for me for 52 years

Does that excuse the state of that prison, in which some of the wardens are 18 years old, with two weeks training?
Well if that's true, that's a bit shocking.


It's really really hard to explain the challenges of keeping criminals from committing crimes.

to be perfectly honest, prisons don't suck enough.

I was listening to a former prisoner of that place, relating horror stories earlier today. Some prisoners cowering in their cells, afraid to come out. Terrified of other prisoners, who "rule" the prison. Apart from the filth, vomit, cockroaches, and drugs which infest the building.
well good

prison should suck


think those guys, living in fear, will think twice about robbing you?

bet they do

Prison should be run properly,

You advocate rampant drug use in there?
 
Wanna know how to handle a rough prison?





don't break the law



I know that seems simple, but it's worked for me for 52 years

Does that excuse the state of that prison, in which some of the wardens are 18 years old, with two weeks training?
Well if that's true, that's a bit shocking.


It's really really hard to explain the challenges of keeping criminals from committing crimes.

to be perfectly honest, prisons don't suck enough.

I was listening to a former prisoner of that place, relating horror stories earlier today. Some prisoners cowering in their cells, afraid to come out. Terrified of other prisoners, who "rule" the prison. Apart from the filth, vomit, cockroaches, and drugs which infest the building.
well good

prison should suck


think those guys, living in fear, will think twice about robbing you?

bet they do

Prison should be run properly,

You advocate rampant drug use in there?
got news for ya

drug use happens in every prison, it happened before g4s took over and it will continue after
 
Have we looked into the Ludovico Treatment?

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UK government has taken HMP Birmingham out of the hands of its private contractor, G4S. Chief inspector of prisons Peter Clarke said it was one of the worst he had ever visited. ‘Squalor, filth, the air hanging heavy with the smell of drugs, a dilapidated physical environment, a sense… that at any time violence could break out’ – this is how he described it on the BBC’s Todayprogramme. During an official visit earlier this month, prisoners torched two of the inspection team’s cars.

HMP Birmingham has suffered a litany of failures. It is the country’s most violent prison, with over 1,000 assaults recorded in 2017 – a fivefold increase since 2012, the first full year of G4S’s stewardship. In December 2016, 500 inmates were involved in a 14-hour riot, the worst prison riot in Britain since 1990. Astonishingly, despite the contractor’s obvious failures, the prison will be returned to G4S if the government manages to turn it around.

But HMP Birmingham is just the tip of the iceberg. Prison violence is at record levels across the country. At first glance, the crisis in prisons lends itself to well-worn narratives about spending cuts and privatisation. The Ministry of Justice has certainly been a particular target for government cuts, leading to the loss of around 5,000 prison staff since 2010. Shadow justice secretary Richard Burgon has previously attacked the government for providing ‘justice on-the-cheap’. Even the Tory prison minister, Rory Stewart, has issued a mea culpa on the cuts to the number of prison officers. A concerted recruitment drive has seen a partial recoveryin numbers over the past three years, but the loss of experience means these are not like-for-like replacements. This has certainly played a role in the current crisis.

It is less clear whether privatisation played a role in HMP Birmingham’s decline. Ministers say the four other G4S prisons are performing well. Public ownership offers no guarantees of adequate facilities. Prior to Birmingham, Clarke, the chief inspector, said the publicly run Liverpool prison had the ‘worst conditions inspectors had seen’. But irrespective of their ‘performance’, the outsourcing of prisons to private entities is wrong. Prison ought to be a punishment imposed by society at-large, via the justice system and the courts. That punishment should not be overseen by private bodies.

There are too many people in prison
 
Amazingly I have to agree with my good friend Mindful. Farming people for profit is morally wrong. Prison privatisation is all about cutting costs but society pays up in the longer term.
Prison should serve two purposes. The second purpose is lost if they are not secure and orderly. Again we pick up the tab for that.
 

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