What do the public think about prisons?

Survey findings

Survey respondents have been requested how a lot they find out about prisons. Nearly three quarters mentioned their information of prisons was restricted; 63% mentioned they knew “not very a lot” about our penal establishments and 10% mentioned they knew nothing in any respect. 

Sources of data

The nationwide media was cited as the principle supply of details about prisons by the very best share (36% of respondents). Movies and tv accounted for the following highest share (15%). Surprisingly, maybe, social media was cited because the principal supply of data by solely 5% of respondents. The authors conclude that these findings recommend that public authorized schooling initiatives ought to focus on nationwide media so as to attain the widest public.

The survey was break up into two halves. Firstly, the general public’s information of varied information and figures regarding who’s in our prisons and their offences; the second half examined attitudes to the aim and nature of imprisonment.

Value of incarceration

The annual value per prisoner in England and Wales in 2022-23 was roughly £51,000. Roughly one-third of survey respondents  supplied an roughly correct estimate throughout the vary of £40,000-£60,000. Round one-fifth (21%) considerably under-estimated the price of imprisonment (estimates below £30,000) and about the identical share (20%) considerably over-estimated the price (£70,000 or increased).

Ladies in jail

The proportion of prisoners who’re ladies has remained secure at between 3% and 5% for many years (it’s presently 4.1%). Nevertheless,  most individuals over-estimated the share of feminine prisoners; certainly over half  (53%) estimated a share in extra of 30%.  The imply and median estimates of the share of feminine prisoners have been 30% and 35% respectively, each considerably increased than the true determine.

What are folks in jail for?

To be able to perceive public information of the composition of the jail inhabitants the survey requested respondents to estimate the share of prisoners in three frequent classes: medication; violence; and sexual offences.

Though offenders sentenced for a drug offence account for fewer than one in 5 (17%) sentenced grownup prisoners, virtually two-thirds (61%) supplied an estimate of 40% or extra.

Equally, whereas violent offences account for round one sentenced prisoner in three (32%), most respondents supplied an estimate of 40% or extra.

Respondents additionally typically over-estimated the proportion of prisoners serving a sentence for a sexual offence (presently 21%), with 40% estimating that offenders sentenced for these offences accounted for at the very least 30% of the sentenced jail inhabitants.

Perceptions of reoffending

Greater than seven respondents out of 10 estimated a re-offending fee for all prisoners of 40% or extra. Nearly half estimated the speed to be 60% or better; in actuality it’s 37%.