The £85m prison with no bars on the windows

[Nearly Sane]

This is good to see


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-65715387

[Outrider]

This is good to see


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-65715387

In a previous work roe one of my more harrowing days was attending the mother and baby unit at a women's prison where they were 'celebrating' a 1 year old's birthday about a week after my youngest had celebrated theirs... there are no easy solutions to managing prisoners in those sorts of situations, but there are a number of examples of poor solutions already out there. Definitely good to see this.

O.

[jeremyp]

I think bars on the windows are a Victorian anachronism. It must surely be possible to make windows that are secure without needing bars in this day and age.

Anyway, in my view, the most important goal for a prison should be to reform the prisoners so that they emerge as law abiding, safe and potentially productive members of society. This looks to me like a massive step in the right direction.

[Outrider]

I think bars on the windows are a Victorian anachronism. It must surely be possible to make windows that are secure without needing bars in this day and age.

I didn't get around to a huge number of prisons, and the nature of the work that I did (related to PFI contracts) meant that I was predominantly visiting newer facilities, but even there the replacement for barred windows seemed to be windows that were so small you didn't need bars on them as no-one could possibly squeeze through the gap - not much of an improvement.

I seem to recall about 10 years a run of the oldest prisons being shut down - Reading and Dartmoor, I think - but I wouldn't put money against there still being a few prison wings from the Victorian era about.

Anyway, in my view, the most important goal for a prison should be to reform the prisoners so that they emerge as law abiding, safe and potentially productive members of society. This looks to me like a massive step in the right direction.

Unfortunately there's political mileage to be made in portraying prisons as soft and not intent enough on punishment still.

O.

[Sriram]

I think bars on the windows are a Victorian anachronism. It must surely be possible to make windows that are secure without needing bars in this day and age.

Anyway, in my view, the most important goal for a prison should be to reform the prisoners so that they emerge as law abiding, safe and potentially productive members of society. This looks to me like a massive step in the right direction.

I agree....but reforming people is easier said than done. 

[Nearly Sane]

I agree....but reforming people is easier said than done.

So we should look to methods that the evidence indicates are most effective, hence what has been done here.