In recent weeks, Tory bluster about tougher sentences for offenders has been on a steep rise, possibly as a populist smokescreen to divert attention from their disastrous economic policies. However, there is no evidence that tougher punishments are any deterrent for ‘criminals’ – in fact evidence consistently shows that the opposite is true. Anarchists make a very different argument, for a society without prison as we know it and with an emphasis on rehabilitation above punishment.
ONE OF THE things that many people find hardest to accept about anarchist ideas is our rejection of prisons. This is a scary thought, so what would society look like without prisons as we know them?
Well, first of all, we should look at society as it is at the moment, and the current prison population. The vast majority of people in prison are there because of the rotten system that we live in – from people that have had to steal to feed their families, ran up unpayable debts, or got addicted to drugs or alcohol because of the powerless, penniless surroundings they find themselves in. Even a lot of violent crime only happens because people who feel powerless in their workplace, Jobcentre or community end up snapping and taking out their frustration on someone who doesn’t deserve it. And that’s not even mentioning all the new non-crimes recent governments have concocted, like squatting or “interfering with a contractual relationship”(?), or anti-terrorist laws banging people up for going on protests or maintaining a website. We live in a society where people end up inside for nicking a pair of trainers, yet big businesses dodge tax, trash the environment, run sweatshops and provide weapons to fuel brutal conflicts all under the protection, and encouragement, of the law. This is modern ‘justice’ – harsh penalties for petty crimes committed by the poor, while the rich are rewarded for acts of disgusting oppression and exploitation.
Anarchists reject this twisted logic. We believe that most ‘crimes’ are caused by the unfair, unequal society that we live in. In a fair world where everyone has equal access to opportunities and resources, and feels like a valued and important member of their community, the majority of modern crime just would not happen.
Of course, this doesn’t explain how we would deal with the proper wrong’uns – the remaining tiny percent who want to rape, harm and kill – but do today’s laws or prisons deter these people? Looking at crime statistics, the answer seems to be ‘no’.
We don’t believe that some people are safe to walk the streets and cause more harm and distress to their victims, or potential victims, but we place far more importance on education and rehabilitation over punishment. Look at the sky-high re-offending rates – does the current ‘justice’ system work for either the victim or the offender?
We also reject the idea that some wigged-up bastard in a court room is capable of giving a fair judgement. Let’s not forget that today’s laws were dreamt up by the rich and powerful, mainly for the protection of them and their wealth and that judges work for the most violent organisation going – the state. It is not laws, or punishments, that prevent crimes such as rape and murder, it is that fact that most of us have reached a consensus that such actions are wrong. We believe that problems affecting a community need to be solved directly by that community. For example, a woman who has killed her abusive husband in self-defence will probably still do time today, whereas her neighbours and community would be far better placed to decide whether an actual crime has been committed.
So, when we say ‘no prisons’, we don’t mean ‘no justice’, we just don’t trust the government to decide what is right and what’s not – as with everything else, the justice system would work better if we ran it ourselves!
