BBC drama, Time, exposes moribund nature of prison system but to the public want to hear?

The brilliant drama Time about a young persons detention centre raises questions about incarceration and the criminal justice system. Written by Jimmy McGovern, starring David Tennant and Siobhan Finneran, Time brings home the violence and terror of prison.The understaffing, means the prisoners end up locked in cells for 23 hours a day. This exasperates many already underlying problems. Efforts to rehabilitate, such as literacy provision go by the way side. The staff are on the edge, becoming more violent themselves This is the third series of Time, the first focusing on adult male prison, the second adult female prison and now the youngsters.This final series is possibly the most hard hitting. It is often a difficult watch but fantastic drama, with McGovern's brilliant writing highlighting an important contemporary issue. Finneran's character, chaplain, Sister sounds Marie Louise, is the only one to appear in all three series. She offers a beacon of hope for the prisoners. In this final series, she has lost her faith after an affair with a Catholic priest. The affair is ended, after pressure from the hierarchy. She suggests the head chaplain may not want her now she has lost her faith. But he responds saying she is needed now more than ever. Tennant puts in a great performance as Bobby Bailey, tortured at work, whilst his private life is also in turmoil. He faces the dilemma of doing the right moral thing in telling the truth or colluding in a cover up for a colleague. The moment on the second episode, where stretched to the limit, Bailey is left to look after a whole wing because his fellow officer has pulled a sickie, is particularly powerful. The icing on the cake comes when he confronts Freddie Jennings (Daniel Ryan). at the golf course, rather than on his sick bed. Jennings is another torn individual, with some good intentions but overcome in the end by the need for self preservation. There are several excellent performances from those playing the young offenders. Chukwubuikem Molokwu as murdered inmate Christopher/Ushindi and Ollie McNulty, as Peter, a conscience stricken member of a murder gang, are particularly outstanding in their TV acting debuts. Again, potentially decent people if given the chance to show it. That opportunity is only occasionally seen, then snatched away, as most become overcome by the need to survive in what amounts to a jungle with few rules. The moral dilemmas mount up, with some redemption found in the end. The concern, though, is that despite such drama and other documentaries, the public understanding of crime and punishment seems to have changed little. The populist belief seems to be that offenders should be locked away for as long as possible - out of sight, out of mind. Note, the frankly ludicrous outcry over the recent decision to release some prisoners early to make space in the prisons for more inmates. The early releases will have made little difference to the offenders concerned. The point missed amid the public clamour to keep people locked up is that the system does not work. The individuals will reoffend because that is what prisoners are bound to do if they are not rehabilitated. Some 30 to 40 per cent of offenders reoffend on release. Prison does not work, it simply makes individuals into better criminals on release. As a former Chief Inspector of Prisons noted sooner or later all but a handful of prisoners will be released and each could be living next door to you or me. It is in everybody's interest to rehabilitate prisoners. But this is not happening. There have been efforts made to cut incarceration by the present government and the previous David Cameron Conservative administration but both have been confounded by media led public outcry. The latest being the reaction to the early release program. The stock response then from the politicians is to promise to build more prisons and incarcerate more people. The countries that incarcerate fewer people, using other methods to punish and rehabilitate in the community are doing better in addressing offending. The present situation, as exposed in Time needs addressing. Building more prisons, locking up more people for longer is no solution. Community based sentences, restorative justice, rehabilitation, valued staff and efforts to address the root causes of what drives crime in the first place are what is needed. There will be mistakes and problems along the way but in the end society will be served much better, than by the present approach of simply warehousing people in increasingly dangerous and volatile institutions. All this leads to, eventually, are prison riots, prisoner suicides and better equipped prisoners being released to commit more crime on the streets. Time to think again and seek a little redemption.

Excellengt analysis for Gordon Brown of the state we're in and ways out

The Future Starts with us by Gordon Brown Published by Simon & Schuster, £25 Former Prime Minister and Chancellor Gordon Brown has delivered a most timely analysis of the chaotic state of the world, with some rays of hope for the future. Brown does an excellent critique of the economic system, the ravages caused by neoliberalism, the eclipse of concepts like the common good and rise of nationalism. The central narrative is one of economic decline across the world, alongside a hollowing out, if not eradication, of civil society. This has in turn led to the rise of populist nationalism across the world. Brown champions the idea of an active, rather than a passive, social citizenry. He identifies trade unions, faith groups, political parties, as all being amongst those in decline. There are some alarming studies, such as one recalling war games based on AI control of nuclear deterrents. This found that in 21 simulated crises, AI chose to use nuclear weapons 95% of the time. The book ofcourse was completed before the more recent alarms being sounded about AI destroying humanity in 10 years. Brown critiques neoliberalism, as having been responsible for many of the problems today - including the rise of nationalist populism. He doesn't, however, admit to his own role as a major player on that scene from 1997 to 2010. Indeed, his references to his own service during this time are very little. He admits ringing Turkish despot Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in 2008, supporting his efforts to get his country into the EU. Something blocked by France and Germany. The Sure Start program also gets a passing mention as a plus in community building. But that is about it. This approach adds a certain air of objectivity, though some may also see it as a falseness. The Left will also be irritated by the effective airbrushing of the Corbyn years. Talking of the demise of political parties, as mass member bodies, there is no reference as to how the Labour Party was the biggest party in Europe, with more than half a million members, under Corbyn. Indeed, many of the ideas of the Corbyn period could be argued to be what Brown would now like to see as part of the way forward - economically and community wise. The Andy Burnham mantra, obviously, resonates with much of what Brown is suggesting, with a new world order, the revival of civic life and active citizenry. Brown describes a world of multipolar as opposed to unipolar power. So, there will be America and China but if the other countries pull together into a co-operative block they can be at least, if not more, influential. The narrative in this respect is very much in line with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's prognosis for the future. On solutions, Brown has some interesting ideas for co-operation between countries on issues like climate change, poverty and economic development. Central to success though is equality, empathy and co-operation. Civil society needs to be rebuilt and supported, alongside international economic fairness. At times the book gets bogged down in stats and can seem rather turgid. But overall, it is an excellent analysis of what has gone wrong and what can be done to put it right. Brown seems to have much faith in technology. He does identify some of the corrosive effects of social media and the like. He, for instance, highlights growing isolation and loneliness in society. However, he doesn't really identify how - in detail - this atomisation can be addressed. It is, afterall, a feature of the present economic model that needs to change. Brown certainly wants change. He wants community rebuilt, so a feeling that all belong. A very good read, particularly apposite at the moment, with some of the ideas being proposed by Burnham's Labour government.