by Tony » Fri Jun 12, 2009 12:00 am
I think I've got the solution to crime and violence, lack of deterrent of prison, burgeoning prison population, etc. Not wishing to hijack another thread - but hey ho.....
Given that Offshoring is currently all the rage in many industries - e.g. Information Technology - we should start actually start to do some Offshoring in reverse. In parallel with the cream of Indian IT professionals, etc. coming to the UK, we send our prisoners and other delinquents to these lower-cost economies. There's a few ways this model could operate:
1. Transport the prisoner to the foreign land (e.g. India / China / Tailand) with no money and take away their UK passport. We could arrange for them to have a job consistent with their level of skill / achievement in the UK - e.g. in a food processing factory. They'd receive local wages and have local terms and conditions and whatever healthcare, etc. the locals get. After their sentence they could come back to the UK. I'm sure they'd appreciate what they have here much more after such an experience. Given the money we'd save from housing them in a UK prison, we could actually pay some level of incentive for these lower-cost economies to take them.
2. Similarly to above - but actually send them to a gaol in the foreign land. Again, we'd share some of the cost savings with the foreign country. No more telly nor time spend building-up their criminal network.
Do you reckon it would work? The more I think about it the more benefits I can see for all parties involved. Remember you read it here first!