Prisoners 'spend too long in cells'

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Summary

This issue has to do with how much time inmates get to spend out of their cells on weekdays. Most of the prisons in England and Wales have to obey the rules set by Her Majesty’s Prison Service. The Prison Service says that every prison must let their prisoners out of their cells for at least 10 hours a day. However a survey of 6,500 prisoners has given other numbers. In this survey 50 percent of the prisoners are let out of their cells for less than 6 hours and 20 percent even less ten two hours.

Hearing these findings, the prison inspectorate did some testing for themselves. Of 17 prisons checked, only three met the target of ten hours. Nine prisons locked their inmates up for more than 20 hours a day even.

Reaction

I think there are two sides to this discussion. Do the inmates really have to be let out of their cells for ten hours a day? Most people will say yes on this because this way the prisoners do not get social problems if they are set free again. The matter of the fact is that the Prison Service has issued these ten hours so the prisons have to obey this target. However due to the over crowdedness of the prisons, this target cannot be met. In my opinion there are two options. The first is to try to sentence people to alternative punishments. The second is to build more prisons or to extend the prisons that already exist.