Prisoners 'sleeping in toilets'

Prisoners 'sleeping in toilets'

news.bbc.co.uk

Some prisoners are living and sleeping in toilets because of jail overcrowding, a report says.

HM Inspectorate of Prisons found Doncaster jail held almost 200 more inmates than it had been intended for.

Two-man cells had been turned into three-man cells by putting an extra bed in the toilet area.

Meanwhile, a separate report from the Commons justice committee says the government's sentencing policies are adding to overcrowding in prisons.

(visit the link for the full news article)

so what?
if they commit a crime they cant really expect a five star accomendation.
maybe this kind of housing will show future criminals what they can expect

news.bbc.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

I think the real story is the fact that the Doncaster Jail is already filled over capacity after only 14 years of opperation. This means incarceration has increased significantly in the area over a short period of time.

If drugs were treated as a health issue instead of a crime I guarantee that prisons would loose a big portion of the crowd. I am all for incarcination of violent offenders but there are way too many people in American prisons over non-violent offenses. Lock the real criminals up and let the people who commit victimless 'crimes' be free.

Originally posted by jrod
I am all for incarcination of violent offenders but there are way too many people in American prisons over non-violent offenses.

The prison in question is not even in America. It's in a small town in South Yorkshire, England.

reply to post by EvaDavE


And do you why the majority of them are in prison? As far as I know the British are similar to the Americans and I assume they lock people up for the same reasons.

No crimes are victimless, a lot of drug addicts steal or commit robberys or muggings in order to fund their addictions.
I have seen on televsion and read many a report of offenders being stopped for being under the influence of drugs whilst driving, putting members of the public in danger.
I have also seen people who are in possesion of drugs, driving irratically and downright dangerously in order to escape a pull from the police.
No crimes are victimless otherwise they wouldn't be crimes.

Being a citizen of England (born and raised in Cheshire) i know that overcrowding is a big problem in British prisons and that there are some offences that do not require prison scentences but would be better suited to other forms of punishment.
However the haphazzard way in which British judges hand out scentences needs to be addressed before scentencing itself can be sorted out.

[edit on 21-7-2008 by full997]

reply to post by jrod

I have no clue about any laws in England. I live in the US but I agree with you that people are more than likely locked up for similar reasons. This is actually one of mine...

reply to post by bodrul


When government starts tossing people in jails and prison just because they wrote a law, you might be the next criminal they make.

In the 13th century St Thomas Aquinas wrote how governments must always be obliged to allow lesser evils, lest men turn to greater evils.

That is no less true today.

Don't they already sleep next to the toilet... now they are closer to the toilet? Oh no!

An apartment that size would cost a fortune in New York.

I had a room once that i paid £30 pounds a week for that was only half the size of the average British prison cell.
It didn't even include a toilet!

If they freed just the "vice" related crime people . This wouldn't be happening .

Imagine how many of them are in there "for there own protection" cause they smoke pot . Or decided to break there own windows out . Ect.

Yeeees...my heart was profoundly moved by the plight of these poor rapists and murderers. Mostly because they get to carry on living.

I'm assuming the US ATS user thought it was a US prison, mostly because the US has the worlds highest incarceration rate per capita.

Britain isn't quite that far with their enforcement.
... then there's Canada, who's crime rate has fallen 7% recently. And has fallen for the last 4 years straight. But that's another story.


Placing cots next to toilets is a health and safety violation. At least it is here in Canada. I should hope it is in Britain as well.

It's not really a human rights issue... just an H&S violation. Then again, it's not like a prison is worried about losing profits over an inspection.

I assume they have plans to expand the facility?

And to the user above... not all of them are "rapists and murderers", theres a much broader range of crimes. Accidental manslaughter, IE, losing control of your vehicle can land you in jail.
How about inability to pay fines? Avoid them long enough, and you're in jail.
Possession? And how about those who are being held until trial?

Assuming everyone in a correctional facility is either a "rapist" or a "murderer" is folly. Thats like assuming everyone in Guantanamo is a terrorist. (If you believe that, I'll let you in on a tip... there aren't THAT many terrorists to begin with.)

[edit on 22-7-2008 by johnsky]

There are THAT many terrorists.... they are called anyone who supports Gordon Brown, Tony Blair, and George Bush and their campaign in Iraq.
But thats a separate issue.

Perhaps they coud use secured porta-cabins to keep those who are only awaiting trial in.