Everyone has an opinion on jail, especially those who have never been incarcerated. This disagreement extends from members of the public to experts – there is very little agreement about what jail should be like and what it should be for. Is it, for example, merely a place to keep people who pose a danger to the public? Or is it a place to punish those who have violated society’s norms? Is it a place to rehabilitate offenders or is it a place that should serve as a deterrent to others?
The answers to all these questions lead to particular ways of organising prisons. For those on the outside, there is a natural urge for punishment, especially for serious crimes. But those who work with prisoners point out that a gentler approach often reduces levels of re-offending, making society safer once prisoners are released.
In the UAE, there are three specific elements to crime and prison populations, which need to be taken into account. The first is the low crime rate and the nature of crimes – mainly financial and drug-related. What are often called “offences against the person” – violent and sexual crime – are thankfully low. The second is the nature of the population, with most prisoners being deported at the end of their sentences.
And the third is the size of the Emirati population and the importance of social networks, which put the emphasis on rehabilitation, both because of the already limited pool of Emiratis and because of a social system that has historically emphasised rehabilitation of criminals back into the community. That role, previously performed by the community, is now under the remit of the government.
These elements combined mean that prisons need not, and should not, be hell. Rather, rehabilitation should form a key element of the correctional strategy. That is why those who “graduate” from prison – as outlined in The National’s investigation yesterday – should be placed back into work. Many of them have simply made foolish mistakes and, as long as they have not harmed people and have served their time, it makes more sense to integrate them. The experience of other countries that incarcerate more of their population is that too often prisons become crime universities and petty criminals come out and commit worse crimes.
Punishment may be instinctive, but, in the long-term, treating prisoners more humanely makes the whole of society safer.
