Academics debated the effectiveness of prison at a recent event in Brighton, hosted by the University of Sussex.

A sell-out audience gathered at the Brighton Museum this month to watch an expert panel of academics debate the effectiveness of prison.

The debate was hosted by the University of Sussex as part of its ‘Sussex Salon’ series, which is aimed at providing an alternative evening out that highlights research at Sussex and explores contemporary topics likely to appeal to a wide audience.

The series, which is organised by the University’s School of Law, Politics and Sociology, has previously covered topics as diverse as the Human Rights Act, The Future of Europe and Corruption in the UK.

A panel featuring Sussex’s Marie Hutton, Dr Andrew Sanders and Dr Paul McGuinness, plus Dr David Maguire from the University of Oxford, tackled questions on the purpose and appropriateness of imprisonment as a form of punishment.  

The panelists argued that the idea of normalizing prisons to make them more comfortable questions the disciplinary power of prison, and highlighted that in order for punishment to be meaningful, it should be done in the community, through community sentences.

They also raised the question of whether it would ever be possible to destigmatize offenders by putting them into prison – prisoners being one of the most highly stigmatized communities of our era.

The panel highlighted the importance of remembering that anyone can be an offender, regardless of their education or financial status, and mentioned that preventing reoffending involves much more than just educating the offenders.

They also emphasized the fact that many minority groups in the criminal justice system are discriminated against based on factors such as class and race.

The debate was lively, and as always audience participation was encouraged. Many audience members were able to bring lived experiences to the discussion, with some currently working or having previously worked in the prison service themselves.

After the discussion, the audience voted on a number of questions, which included: “Should life in prison mean life?” and “Should prisoners be allowed to have conjugal visits?”

The majority of the attendees (55%) believed that life in prison shouldn’t mean life, whereas 26% disagreed and 18% were unsure.

71% supported a prisoners’ right to have private visits, whereas 18% were opposed to it, and 12% believed that only those serving longer sentences should be allowed to have such visits.

Speakers summed up the panel debate by encouraging the audience to challenge the prevailing idea that prison is effective in reducing re-offending.

They asked audience members to consider what prison is supposed to achieve and for whom, and how punishment should be undertaken in order to successfully prevent re-offence.

The event concluded with a broad and energetic discussion, with audience members expressing their thoughts on imprisonment and sharing their belief that the issues in the prison system are compounded by problems in welfare, housing and education.

The next Sussex Salon will take place in June – details can be found via the School of Law, Politics and Sociology website.