TV shows like Banged Up and Time will not solve Britain’s prison problem.

Television has long focused on the prison system. Be it light-hearted dishes like a seventies sitcom. fatherOff-piste dramas like those shown on Channel 4 screws or one of Louis Theroux’s tours of prison, programmers—and, by extension, those of us at home—can’t get enough of imagining what life behind bars is really like. Just this week, two shows that explore the reality of prison life made for great, heart-wrenching television.

Season two of Jimmy McGovern’s powerful drama Time The action takes place within the walls of a women’s prison, where prisoners are huddled together, regardless of the severity of the crimes they have committed. Just as the first episode was an indictment of the state’s treatment of prisoners, the second episode is equally damning.

It stars Jodie Whittaker as single mother Orla, who is beaten after “tinkering with the Lecci meter”. Time reminds us that not all prisoners are incarcerated for violent crimes (last year, the majority of inmates—62 percent—were incarcerated for nonviolent crimes), but they are often forced into a violent life in prison. In the midst of a colossal cost of living crisis, Orla’s story is incredibly heartbreaking.

This week also featured a gripping Channel 4 documentary and celebrity reality show. flogged. The concept is simple: a handful of celebrities – EastEnders Actor Sid Owen, singer HRVY, formerCase for glasses Star Marcus Luther, comedian Tom Rosenthal – a pair of Tory MPs (or, in the case of Neil Parrish, a former MP along with current veteran minister and Plymouth Moor View MP Johnny Mercer) and curmudgeons Publication on Sunday Columnist Peter Hitchins is sent for a total of eight days to see first-hand how prisoners are treated.

Of course, they aren’t actually sent to prison, but the creators of the simulation have created one – their fellow inmates are all reformed ex-cons who need to regain their old, incarcerated behavior and personality; All the guards are former hooligans and seem amazing, sometimes disturbing, real. While we believe safety always exists, there is always a small level of threat in the air. This makes prison life seem like hell, with the constant threat of violence and intense pressure to survive at all costs.

It is unclear whether these programs are aimed at advocating for criminal justice reform (and the channels they target are at least partly publicly funded, so overtly political activity is prohibited), but it is difficult not to conclude that the current situation of the British government system needs urgent repairs.

According to the charity Prison Reform Trust, the prison population in England and Wales is expected to rise to a staggering 86,400 this year, giving us the highest incarceration rate in Western Europe. Next year the population is expected to increase by another 7,400 people. Add to this the fact that the prison’s frontline workforce dropped by 26 percent between 2010 and 2017 due to budget cuts and difficulty retaining staff (in 2022, 25 percent left their positions within a year). It’s no surprise that this prison – at least as it’s portrayed on television – is a dangerous place.

One of the most cathartic and delightful moments flogged came to the end of last night’s episode when Mercer dared to argue with one of his fellow inmates about the merits and demerits of the current system. After I suggested that they shouldn’t do this in prison only “It’s about criminal reform, it’s more about the form of punishment and justice for the victims,” ​​Mercer said of the former inmate. “You are being misled, look at these damn statistics, they don’t fucking work. Wake up, it’s the damn government, you’re talking out of your damn ass,” he shouted in his face.

TimeThis is yet another powerful example of how overcrowding, understaffing and neglect can have dire consequences. The first episode of season two featured a particularly disturbing scene in which Bella Ramsey’s character, heroin addict Kelsey, was brutally and intimately “searched” by two prisoners after their drugs were stolen. The fact that it was fiction didn’t make it any less traumatic.

But flogged AND Time This is not the first time that the problems of the penitentiary system have been covered on television. Channel 4 documentary nominated for a Bafta in 2020. Jail It was a stunning, powerful account of life behind bars, highlighting the same issues that have been covered in prison programs this week. BBC one Prisoners, ITV Britain’s Notorious Prisons and every other doctor at Ross Kemp’s is sending the same message: the prison is not functioning in its current state.

Clearly, it will take more than just a television show to truly make a difference. But probably flogged Perhaps the first one to have a chance. Involving and involving those who have the power to actually apply the knowledge gained, i.e. Members of Parliament and a journalist working for one of the UK’s most popular newspapers, is a smart move on the producers’ part and gives an opportunity to prisoners who are often silenced or ignored , express your dissatisfaction. on a national platform. To his credit, Mercer accepted the prisoner’s point of view and questioned his long-held beliefs when he returned to his cell.

But this is a big question; No series has previously managed to achieve radical transformation of the prison system. It’s a depressing thought, but perhaps the best we can hope for from these programs are fleeting moments of catharsis for ex-cons, given the emotional release of screaming in a deputy’s face.