Some prisoners prefer prison to freedom

[Michael]

There is probably no more damning indictment of British society than the fact that thousands of prisoners each year refuse the offer to be released early from prison into what, often without the slightest irony, is called ‘the community’. They prefer to stay inside.

Source (http://www.salisburyreview.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=668:throw-away-the-key&catid=47:autumn2008&Itemid=28)

Indeed, there is something rotten in society here. I think the author is on to something. Humans just don't like or deal with freedom very well. Humans seem to be happier when their lives are regimented and their choices few.

Any thoughts on this complex issue?

[partofme]

I think that is the case with many people that have no direction in life. I had a friend that hated school but didn't want to go to work every day either. He would just sleep in and miss both all the time. Then he joined The Marines which I thought was absolutely crazy but he seems to be happier than I have ever seen him. However, other people I know that have been in the military absolutely hated it. I think the difference is that they knew what they wanted to do while the other guy didn't so he needed to be told what to do instead.

[dilettante]

It's certainly an interesting little article. Such things bring into question the western/liberal notion that personal liberty and self-determination lead to general human happiness.

The prisoners emerged, in the main, from a part of society in which there was no family structure, no love, no ambition, no culture, no religion, and no self-respect, nothing that could give meaning to life.

I note that the things mentioned here not only "give meaning to life" but also inherently impose constraints on the freedom of individuals.

[The Sister]

My neighbour has an alcoholic brother that seems to thrive when in jail or rehab. Within days/weeks of being released no matter how much love, support, family, religion, home,money or job he is given or works out for himself, he almost always ends up drunk and creating huge scenes and back to the drunk tank.
And yet he is always a model inmate. For some reason he only functions in an institutional setting. He simply cannot handle the freedom to choose - anything.

[bug]

I wonder if it's a matter of us being creatures of habit. In the same way the abuse victim will seek out abuse, maybe getting used to something makes what we consider normal feel wrong to them in comparison.

[The Sister]

I like the habit theory, change is difficult for most people. The top ten stresses are all about change.

But I do wonder if those prisoners in the UK, were prisoners in say a jungle in South America or Abu Graib would they chose to stay when their sentence was up?

[neorealist]

I wonder if it's a matter of us being creatures of habit. In the same way the abuse victim will seek out abuse, maybe getting used to something makes what we consider normal feel wrong to them in comparison.

I think thats what the author is getting at...I have known two people who had spent over 5 years in prison and both of which were ready to leave ASAP, but their are many prisoners who enter in the their adolescence and know nothing else but prison....its a dramatic change and scares them


Anyone see Shawshank Redemption? Remember the old man who spent 50+ and was let out...then hanged himself b/c he couldn't adapt?

[dilettante]

But I do wonder if those prisoners in the UK, were prisoners in say a jungle in South America or Abu Graib would they chose to stay when their sentence was up?

The difference between the UK prisons and the other ones you mention seems interesting here. The latter actively apply suffering, whereas the former merely restrain the prisoners freedom.
Our prisons these days operate under the belief (common to western/liberal worldviews) that merely being unfree is itself inherently bad and undesirable, and therefore effective punishment. This makes me wonder about the validity of that belief.

[SMadsen]

I think thats what the author is getting at...I have known two people who had spent over 5 years in prison and both of which were ready to leave ASAP, but their are many prisoners who enter in the their adolescence and know nothing else but prison....its a dramatic change and scares them
Yes, the desire for comfort can never be overrated. Sometimes the known uncomfort becomes comfort when confronted with anticipation of the unknown.

Anyone see Shawshank Redemption? Remember the old man who spent 50+ and was let out...then hanged himself b/c he couldn't adapt?
An excellent example of a film mentioning the subject.

[Michael]

The difference between the UK prisons and the other ones you mention seems interesting here. The latter actively apply suffering, whereas the former merely restrain the prisoners freedom.
Our prisons these days operate under the belief (common to western/liberal worldviews) that merely being unfree is itself inherently bad and undesirable, and therefore effective punishment. This makes me wonder about the validity of that belief.
Western countries normally have crime levels comparatively lower than most of the rest of the planet - particularly compared to places where the prison systems are most ugly.

Thus, the western model does appear to be functional despite its lack of physcial punishment. Its not like India, Saudi Arabia, China or Russia is crime free. All have brutal penal systems.

[dilettante]

Western countries normally have crime levels comparatively lower than most of the rest of the planet - particularly compared to places where the prison systems are most ugly.

Thus, the western model does appear to be functional despite its lack of physcial punishment. Its not like India, Saudi Arabia, China or Russia is crime free. All have brutal penal systems.

I imagine there are other factors than prison conditions that account for the different crime levels; I sincerely doubt China's crime rate would drop if they just started being nicer to their prisoners and didn't change anything else.

That said, I'm glad that our prisons don't intentionally inflict cruelties upon their inmates; I'm certainly not advocating corporeal punishment. I just think this scenario highlights and questions the connection we have between happiness/goodness and personal liberty.

Of course our belief in this connection makes our prison system more effective. Even if one could actually be just as happy (if not happier) under confinment, the assumed connection between happiness and personal liberty makes the threat of confinement an effective deterrent.

[Michael]

I imagine there are other factors than prison conditions that account for the different crime levels; I sincerely doubt China's crime rate would drop if they just started being nicer to their prisoners and didn't change anything else.

That said, I'm glad that our prisons don't intentionally inflict cruelties upon their inmates; I'm certainly not advocating corporeal punishment. I just think this scenario highlights and questions the connection we have between happiness/goodness and personal liberty.

Of course our belief in this connection makes our prison system more effective. Even if one could actually be just as happy (if not happier) under confinment, the assumed connection between happiness and personal liberty makes the threat of confinement an effective deterrent.
An excellent point - particularly the last one.

What this reveals is the true nature of our legal system. For the most part, the law is there as a guide to direct action (act as deterrence). The police/court system is useless if 100% of the population violates the law. The police/court system is only useful for dealing with the 5 to 10% of the population that choose not abide by the "deterrent" principle.

In this respect, we need to be careful in projecting the characteristics of prisoners to that of the larger population. Prisoners are those who do not abide by the deterrent principle. They are a minority of the population by defintion. Their characteristics may not match the larger population (and probably don't).

In other words, just because some prisoners prefer prison to release (and indeed, some do), that doesn't mean that humans inherently like to live a regimented lifestyle (such as prison provides).