Are Prisons an Effective Form of Punishment and Rehabilitation? (Don’t Even Get Us Started on Early Release)

'Justice in action' students Sara Meale, Hibo Ahmed, Jill Randles, Danielle Field, Lena Le, Suneeta Gupta discuss the effectiveness of prisons and current UK government policy in this new blog.

Are prisons an effective form of punishment and rehabilitation? In short: absolutely not. Is the government’s early release scheme a brilliant idea? Well, for the government, yes—it’s a convenient plaster for the overcrowding crisis. For everyone else? Not so much. Let’s face it, offenders go to prison already knowing they’ll serve only part of their sentence. Add to that the lack of any mandatory rehabilitation courses, and what do we get? One of the highest re-offending rates in the world! But hey, it’s not like society needs safety or anything, right? 

Enter the Labour government’s early release provision: the pièce de résistance of quick fixes for prison overcrowding in England and Wales. Under this scheme, prisoners who have served less than 40% of their sentence can be released (House of Lords Library). Sure, there are rules about who qualifies, but let’s pause for a moment. Punishment is supposed to deter future crime. Rehabilitation? It’s about changing behaviour, so offenders can rejoin society without, you know, offending again (Wormith 2007). 

Prison populations have skyrocketed, thanks in part to sentencing changes from the Criminal Justice Act 2003 (1). These changes were definitely designed for justice and not political brownie points (sarcasm fully intended). Sentencing guidelines from the Sentencing Council have contributed to a doubling of people sentenced to more than 20 years between 2013 and 2023. Over the last 50 years, sentence lengths have doubled overall. And yet, 40% of inmates are serving time for nonviolent offences (Howard League for Penal Reform 2024). If the goal is to lock people up for longer without addressing the root causes of crime, well, congratulations to us. The government has also brought in a five-year plan to create more prison spaces (Webster), but let’s be honest—this is like patching a sinking ship with duct tape. Early release provisions might reduce the immediate pressure, but they come with significant risks. Releasing offenders without addressing their criminal behaviour? What could possibly go wrong? 

So, here’s the million-pound question: are offenders being punished and rehabilitated in their limited time behind bars? Spoiler alert: no. Let's talk rehabilitation—or rather, the lack of it. If re-offending rates are anything to go by, our prisons are about as rehabilitative as a holiday camp is strict. Between October and December 2022, adult re-offending rates hit 26.1%, and juveniles weren’t far behind at 31.4% (Ministry of Justice 2024). These stats only include re-offenders caught within a year. The real figures? Let’s just say they’d likely make a politician’s head spin. 

Meanwhile, Norway’s re-offending rate is a mere 20% (Negi 2023). Overachievers. And countries like Nigeria and India, where prison conditions are hardly ideal, report rates as high as 50%. Clearly, locking people up for 23 hours a day in overcrowded, understaffed, unsanitary conditions—with little access to education or rehabilitation—isn’t the secret recipe for reformation. Who knew? 

In 2013, the government unveiled Transforming Rehabilitation, promising a tailored approach to help offenders reintegrate. Ten years later, the system is still floundering. Reports highlight a chronic lack of educational opportunities (Fielder 2022) and scarce rehabilitation programs. Consider this: in Scotland, only 43 registered sex offenders completed a rehabilitation program between 2020 and 2024. At this rate, clearing the waiting list would take 14 years. And by then, many offenders will have already been released—or denied parole (Scottish Legal News 2024). Meaningful reform? Not happening. 

Speaking of failure, let’s look at the management of sexual offenders. Over 50% of those placed on the register for Indecent Images of Children re-offend. Why? Because our system treats all offenders like they’re the same, regardless of individual risk factors (Policing Research Partnership 2024). A nuanced approach? Too much work, apparently. And then there’s violence. Violence is on the rise, making these facilities less about rehabilitation and more about survival.  

The UK’s approach to incarceration remains painfully outdated. It’s punitive to the point of being counterproductive. Instead of focusing on rehabilitation, we’re creating environments where inmates leave worse off than when they entered. Community-based alternatives could reduce re-offending and provide real opportunities for change, but why invest in meaningful solutions when we can just build more cells? Meanwhile, Norway’s “normalisation theory” offers a refreshing alternative. Their prisons aim to mimic life outside as closely as possible, with a focus on preparing inmates for reintegration (Negi 2023). And shockingly, it works. So why haven’t we adopted something similar? Perhaps because the UK loves its tradition of “tough on crime” policies, even if they don’t work. Reform is a nice idea in theory, but in practice, it’s about as likely as summer snow. 

And let’s not forget the early release scheme (yes, we're bringing it up AGAIN) —an eye-roll-worthy attempt to address a symptom without touching the disease. Sure, it temporarily reduces overcrowding, but it doesn’t solve the underlying problems. Public safety? Long-term offender reform? Apparently, those are someone else’s concerns, usually the probation services, but that’s a talk for another day. 

The reality is stark: our prisons are overcrowded, underfunded, and ineffective. Without a radical overhaul, things will only get worse. Could a Scandinavian-style system improve outcomes? Almost certainly. Will we ever see it implemented here? Don’t hold your breath. And so, we’re left with a justice system that fails on all fronts: it doesn’t deter crime, doesn’t rehabilitate offenders, and doesn’t make society safer. But hey, at least it’s consistent.