Are Prisons too Lenient
Are Prisons too Lenient? By Cameron Morrison
I have chosen to investigate prison leniency in Scotland as I believe it is one of the more serious topics currently being argued about with one of our most recent cases being in March this year. For my research I have decided to ask the following questions:
-Do longer sentences have a deterrent effect?
-How many criminals serve a full sentence?
-Why is prison sentences lengthened?
For my primary research I have organized an interview with a guard from Greenock prison. This is a very reliable method as I am receiving answers from someone who has had to deal with prisoners who have had lenient sentences.
For my secondary I have used the internet as it has lots of arguments for both sides of the story. However this is not a reliable method as many of the articles are edited by others which make it no longer trustworthy.
I believe that this problem can be addressed through tougher sentences. It is shown that 27% of re-offenders who are given the same sentences stop offending, only 27%, that means 73% of offenders will continue to offend unless they receive stronger sentences. When asked my interviewee, chooses to remain anonymous, said “A young guy about 22 would come in every second week for drink driving then he received 7 months for repeated offending and I have yet to see him since.” This shows that with tougher sentencing people can change.
Also we could address this problem through the use of lengthening sentences of prisoners whose sentence has been deemed “unlawfully lenient” by the court. This however will only happen if the whole court deems the sentence “unlawfully lenient” also the crime must reach certain conditions and must be done within 28 days of the trial. This is done by the Crown Prosecutor Service who goes through a process in considering whether a sentence was too lenient or was just.
However when I ask if a life sentence means life the answer is yes. I received this answer from my
I have chosen to investigate prison leniency in Scotland as I believe it is one of the more serious topics currently being argued about with one of our most recent cases being in March this year. For my research I have decided to ask the following questions:
-Do longer sentences have a deterrent effect?
-How many criminals serve a full sentence?
-Why is prison sentences lengthened?
For my primary research I have organized an interview with a guard from Greenock prison. This is a very reliable method as I am receiving answers from someone who has had to deal with prisoners who have had lenient sentences.
For my secondary I have used the internet as it has lots of arguments for both sides of the story. However this is not a reliable method as many of the articles are edited by others which make it no longer trustworthy.
I believe that this problem can be addressed through tougher sentences. It is shown that 27% of re-offenders who are given the same sentences stop offending, only 27%, that means 73% of offenders will continue to offend unless they receive stronger sentences. When asked my interviewee, chooses to remain anonymous, said “A young guy about 22 would come in every second week for drink driving then he received 7 months for repeated offending and I have yet to see him since.” This shows that with tougher sentencing people can change.
Also we could address this problem through the use of lengthening sentences of prisoners whose sentence has been deemed “unlawfully lenient” by the court. This however will only happen if the whole court deems the sentence “unlawfully lenient” also the crime must reach certain conditions and must be done within 28 days of the trial. This is done by the Crown Prosecutor Service who goes through a process in considering whether a sentence was too lenient or was just.
However when I ask if a life sentence means life the answer is yes. I received this answer from my