I experienced Britain’s prisons crisis first-hand, but the Owers review gives me hope | Letter

The article discusses the findings of the Owers review, which examined the crisis in the British prison system. The author, who spent time in prison in 2017 and now works for a prison charity, provides firsthand insight into the issues. The review revealed that the prison system was on the verge of collapse three times under Rishi Sunak's tenure as chancellor. It also highlighted the testimony of prison staff who said they were more focused on checking and re-checking release dates rather than developing relationships with prisoners to aid their rehabilitation. The author argues that this shift away from rehabilitation and towards treating prisoners as "mere numbers to be shuffled around the system" is the worst aspect of the crisis. The review, the author believes, should serve as a "watershed moment" for criminal justice policy in the UK, providing hope for meaningful reforms to address the ongoing challenges facing the prison system.