How is the prison system presented in Act 1 Scene 4 and elsewhere in the play?

Hare’s presentation of prisons comes in light of the Woolf report, written in response to the Strangeways riots of 1990. These were the result of tremendous overcrowding problems and lack of funding which are both issues that Hare tries to highlight throughout the play. This is particularly apparent in Act 1 Scene 4 when Gerard is escorted into the prison; Beckett says, “There’s no room here. But we’ll make some,” already suggesting that there are issues with accommodating the prisoners. He even says that they have to, “put [him] on D-wing,” which is, “supposed to be for lifers.” This evidently puts Gerard at risk and greatly increases his level of vulnerability. It seems that Hare uses this as a way of highlighting the fact that overcrowding issues are actually compromising the safety and welfare of the prisoners. The lack of resources and funding immediately becomes apparent when Beckett says, “You’re meant to have a shower. But you can’t, the water’s off,” which is a violation of Garrard's basic right to access decent sanitation. However, due to the lack of funding, this is not possible. This is also found when Beckett says, “Watch the shit packages,” to Irina, stating that they throw them because, “they don’t like the smell.” This is extremely undignifying and humiliating for the prisoners; it also shows how poorly funded the prison is given the gross lack of sanitation. The prison is even described at ‘Victorian’ which implies it is outdated and unchanging - perhaps a symbol of the entire judicial system which is an issue that Hare tries to raise.

It is argued that the reason for the lack of progress and change is due to the tripartite within the judicial system. There was great incoherence between the police, the courts, and the prison system in the late 1980’s and this is found throughout the play. For example, when the Home Secretary raises the issue of overcrowding with Sir Peter, he responds by saying, “It is truly your problem, not ours.” This is a clear demonstration that the bureaucrats at the top are unwilling to accept any responsibility for the problems in the system. The staging demonstrates the incoherence well as ‘the flickering light bulb’ in the prison is in stark contrast with the ‘grand chandeliers’ of Lincoln’s Inn. This is used as a devise to demonstrate the inequality found within the judiciary. The division of the stage in Act 1 Scene 7 is also symbolic of the incoherence between the police, the prison system, and the judiciary - this is to highlight the fact that the bureaucrats are only self-interested as they want to preserve their own power and status, thus why change is so difficult to accomplish. This is also shown when Beckett describes visitors as “something-must-be-dones,” implying that while they all agree change is needed, no one has the drive or commitment to actually address the issues; he even goes on to say that everything is “left to us [the prison guards].” This isn’t surprising when the likes of Sir Peter have an ‘it’s your problem’ attitude which was common among bureaucrats at the time.

Hare tries to highlight the inefficiency of the prison system as such a high percentage of criminals reoffend, showing that prison doesn’t actually serve as a deterrent or as a way of reforming convicts. This is displayed when Beckett says,“Don’t you know the procedure? Haven’t you been here before?” to Gerard which shows that he’s surprised that he isn't a re-offender, highlighting the sheer gravity of the situation. He even says, “The prisoners like it. While else would they keep coming back?” showing that even the prison guards themselves recognise the flaw in the system - that it doesn’t actually work. Hare also tries to convey the notion through the Home Secretary when he says, “Germany has reduced all prison sentences radically… without having any affect on criminal statistics,” which shows that lengthening prison sentences (something much of the judiciary were so keen on promoting) would be ineffective. Sandra also highlights the ineffectiveness of the system when she says, “They’ve all been arrested before… for petty crimes.” She even describes the whole ‘thing’ as ‘a mess’.

Overpopulation leads to many other problems in the system and Hare exposes these through Gerard. It becomes clear that prison is dangerous in Act 2 Scene 4 when he’s violated in the prison showers as it is revealed that the prison guards are not able to protect other inmates due to being so heavily outnumbered. I.e when the prisoner says, “He’s [the guard] not coming,” “There’s more of us.” This shows that the prisoners feel in control and is exactly what lead to the Strangeways Riots in the early 90’s which is what Hare seems to be trying to manifest. As well as making prison extremely dangerous, overpopulation means that inmates tend to lose their sense of identity. Immediately in Act 1 Scene 4, Gerard is given a serial number, stripped of his clothes, and removed of his belongings. He is then provided with some prison clothes that are ‘ridiculously big for him’. It could be that Hare uses this as a symbol to show the ‘one size fits all’ attitude held by the judiciary when in fact each prisoner needs to be tailored to individually.

To conclude, Hare presents the prison system as an establishment riddled with hypocrisy and contradictions. It’s dangerous and outdated, overcrowded and ineffective. It’s a system in dire need of reform - full of ‘something-must-dones’ and ‘it’s your problem-ers’. It’s a place so poorly understaffed that the prisoners themselves are in control. The prison system is a failure, and only the bureaucrats are to blame.

	Created by TJ Hughes almost 9 years ago

How is the prison system presented in Act 1 Scene 4 and elsewhere in Murmuring Judges? A-grade answer for AS English Literature

Murmuring Judges prison essay: "How is the prison system presented in Act 1 Scene 4 and elsewhere in the play?"