Uses of the Harassment Act
| Published date | 01 September 2000 |
| DOI | 10.1177/026455050004700316 |
| Date | 01 September 2000 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
216
League
paper
reports
that in
reality
&dquo;for
many,
work
is
either
unavailable
or
it
is
focused
on
killing
time
rather
than
preparing
for
release&dquo;.
Although
contracts
with
external
customers
have
increased
rapidly
over
the
last
decade,
most
prison
industries
serve
the
internal
(nonprofit-making)
market,
e.g.
by
making
tables,
chairs
and
clothing
for
other
prisons.
The
limited
number
of
external
contracts
means
there
is
often
insufficient
profit
to
boost
token
salaries
of
£7
a
week
provided
by
a
central
budget,
and
this
may
be
linked
to
low
levels
of
productivity.
Much
of
the
work
is
monotonous
and
unskilled,
and
prison
regimes
generally
do
not
allow
for
hours
of
work
comparable
to
those
which
can
be
expected
in
the
community.
The
allocation
of
work
is
rarely
linked
to
an
assessment
of
a
prisoner’s
needs,
aptitudes
or
sentence
plans.
The
report
argues
that
by
failing
to
provide
the
same
incentives
and
benefits
which
make
work
in
the
community
worthwhile,
prison
work
reinforces
negative
views
of
legitimate
work
and
gives
prisoners
the
impression
that
&dquo;crime
pays
better&dquo;.
Main
recommendations:
.
The
government
should
match
its
commitment
to
full
employment
in
the
community
with
a
similar
pledge
for
prisoners.
For
example,
more
partnerships
should
be
encouraged
between
local
companies
and
voluntary
sector
organisations
which
could
help
to
finance
workshops,
train
staff
and
prisoners
and
offer
employment
opportunities
on
release.
.
Work
for
prisoners
should
be
constructive,
challenging
and
rewarding.
.
Prison
work
should
aim
to
provide
prisoners
with
relevant
skills,
qualifications
and
opportunities
to
find
employment
upon
release.
Rehabilitating
Work:
What
Are
Prison
Workshops
For?
(2000)
Howard
League
Briefing
Paper,
available
from
The
Howard
League,
1
Ardleigh
Road,
London
N1
4HS.
Tel:
020
7249
7373.
£5.
Prison
Performance
This
Prison
Reform
Trust
paper
highlights
the
fact
that
the
Prison
Service
has
failed
to
meet
seven
out
of
its
thirteen
Key
Performance
Indicators.
In
particular,
only
56%
of
prisons
met
the
target
of
providing
24
hours
of
’purposeful
activity’
(e.g.
work,
education)
per
week.
Other
findings:
.
In
1999-2000,
12,222
prisoners
were
held
two
to
a
single
cell.
.
The
target
for
completing
accredited
offending
behaviour
programmes
was
exceeded,
but
still
only
represents
7%
of
the
total
prison
population,
and
includes
a
lower
than
expected
rate
of
sex
offender
treatment
programme
completions.
Over
4,000
sex
offenders
in
prison
did
not
undertake
the
programme.
.
However,
positive
random
drug
tests
have
reduced
significantly
(to
14.4%
in
1999-2000,
compared
to
a
KPI
of
18.5%).
Escapes
from
custody
have
also
reduced.
New
KPIs
for
2000-2001
include
reducing
the
proportion
of
discharged
prisoners
at
level
one
or
below
for
basic
skills
in
literacy
and
numeracy
by
10%.
The
report
warns
that
the
figures
are
in
any
event
an
unreliable
way
of
measuring
performance
because
of
the
inaccuracy
of
information
received
from
prisons.
The
Prisons
League
Table
1999-2000.
Performance
Against
Key
Performance
Indicators,
2000,
by
Joe
Levenson,
available
from
the
PRT,
15
Northburgh
Street,
London
EC1V
OJR,
£3.50.
Uses
of
the
Harassment
Act
The
Protection
from
Harassment
Act
1997
introduced
two
new
criminal
offences -
section
2
deals
with
a course
of
conduct
that
amounts
to
harassment,
and
the
more
serious section
4
covers
situations
where
the
victims
also
fear
the
use
of
violence.
Despite
a
widespread
perception
that
the
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