The UK government is considering adopting the American maximum-security model to address prison overcrowding issues, with a focus on rehabilitation and reducing reoffending rates.
As we walked through the enormous high-security Estelle Supermax Penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas, a pungent smell of detergent and rotten food hit us. Inmates pressed themselves up against the bars to look at us, their expressionless stares a stark contrast to the hope that this prison holds for reducing reoffending and overcrowding.
The UK government is looking to Estelle prison for inspiration, seeking ways to cut down prisoner numbers in its already overcrowded jails. One scheme they’d like to emulate is the ‘good time credit‘ system, which gives inmates the chance to shorten their sentences by participating in courses, studying for qualifications, taking up jobs, and behaving well.
Incentivising Rehabilitation
Just one in five offenders in England and Wales has a job six weeks after being released from custody. According to the Ministry of Justice, people who are still unemployed six weeks after release are twice as likely to reoffend as those in employment. The good time credit scheme aims to change this by incentivising prisoners to gain qualifications and find work while inside.
Inside Estelle prison, we met Jimmy Delgado, a 52-year-old inmate serving three life sentences for first-degree murder. Despite his long sentence, he’s turned his life around by working as a counsellor, supporting offenders who are struggling to cope with life in prison. ‘I’m here for taking a life – and I’m here to save multiple lives,’ he says.
Delgado may never be released, but the good time credit scheme is one of the reasons why Estelle Supermax Penitentiary is appealing to the UK government. By participating in courses, studying for qualifications, and taking up jobs, inmates can earn credits that reduce their sentence. This process depends on the classification of their crime and an assessment by the parole board on their overall rehabilitation.
A Sustainable Prison Population
The rates of those returning to prison within three years of release have fallen to 20.3% in Texas – a fraction of those in the rest of the United States (68%). The BBC came to Estelle to see the credit scheme in action with UK justice secretary Shabana Mahmood, who believes that the Texan system is effective in helping prisoners get out of prison early and stay out.
Shabana Mahmood is a British Labour Party politician serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Birmingham Ladywood since 2010.
Born on August 3, 1976, she was educated at the University of Sheffield and later qualified as a solicitor.
Before entering politics, Mahmood worked as a lawyer and was involved in various community organizations.
She has been a vocal advocate for social justice and women's rights, and has held several positions within the Labour Party.
‘The Texans had a system similar to ours – on the point of collapse, running out of prison places in 2007,’ Ms Mahmood says. ‘They’ve now got a sustainable prison population – but most importantly, they’ve been able to massively cut the rates of reoffending here.‘
A Magic Bullet?
However, some experts say that the good time credit programme is not a magic bullet for addressing the UK’s overcrowding problem. Michele Deitch, a criminal justice policy lecturer at the University of Texas, argues that the incentivisation scheme has little to do with the reforms that helped bring Texas’s prison population down in 2007.
Michele Deitch is a professor at the University of Texas at Austin, specializing in juvenile justice and corrections.
She has extensive experience in policy development and implementation, particularly in the areas of sentencing reform and alternatives to incarceration.
Deitch has worked with state governments across the United States to develop and evaluate policies aimed at reducing recidivism rates and improving public safety.
Her research focuses on the intersection of law, policy, and social justice.
‘What would make a real difference,’ she says, ‘would be diverting more people from incarceration in the first place: To shorten sentences, to reduce the use of recalls to prison, and to invest more heavily in rehabilitative programs in prison and in programs and services in the community.‘
A Plan with Huge Potential
As well as incentivisation, the UK government is also considering the use of ‘diversion programmes‘ – where offenders are sent on rehabilitation courses rather than to jail. This can apply to people with addiction issues or mental health problems.
Nick Hardwick, a former chief inspector of prisons, believes that the good time credit system has ‘huge potential in the UK‘. He argues that it will make prisons safer and more productive by ensuring that prisoners are doing what is necessary to reduce the risk they will reoffend and create more victims.
Nick Hardwick was a British judge and the former Chair of the UK's Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).
He served as a High Court judge from 2005 to 2013, specializing in human rights and public law.
Prior to his judicial career, Hardwick worked as a barrister, focusing on civil liberties and police accountability cases.
He was appointed as the IPCC Chair in 2013, overseeing investigations into police misconduct and deaths in custody.
