There is a new proposal to restrict prison privileges for offenders who refuse to attend sentencing. Among the potential sanctions are restrictions on social visits. Children’s visits are expected to be exempt.
I can understand why people want consequences for refusing to face a court. Victims and their families deserve to be heard, and the justice system should not simply shrug its shoulders when someone refuses to cooperate.
But there is another side to this.
When you take away a prison visit, who exactly are you punishing?
A prisoner’s partner hasn’t necessarily committed a crime. Neither have their parents. And their children certainly haven’t.
Yet these are the people who may lose the chance to see someone they love.
Having spent time in both HMP Bronzefield and HMP East Sutton Park, I know that imprisonment doesn’t happen in isolation. The sentence belongs to one person, but its consequences spread much further.
Maintaining family relationships can also be part of rehabilitation. We want people to leave prison with stable relationships and some prospect of rebuilding their lives. Making those relationships harder to maintain deserves careful thought.
There must be consequences for serious misconduct. But surely we should ask whether a punishment achieves anything useful, or simply creates more suffering.
Prison is supposed to be the punishment. We should be careful about punishing everyone else.
Source: The Guardian, 22 October 2026, Geneva Abdul. www.theguardian.com/law/2026/oct/22/criminals-who-refuse-to-attend-sentencing-could-lose-prison-privileges-under-new-rules
Lou Myx is the author of Crime Doesn’t Pay, a memoir of life inside HMP Bronzefield and HMP East Sutton Park. Read more at loumyx.com.
I can understand why people want consequences for refusing to face a court. Victims and their families deserve to be heard, and the justice system should not simply shrug its shoulders when someone refuses to cooperate.
But there is another side to this.
When you take away a prison visit, who exactly are you punishing?
A prisoner’s partner hasn’t necessarily committed a crime. Neither have their parents. And their children certainly haven’t.
Yet these are the people who may lose the chance to see someone they love.
Having spent time in both HMP Bronzefield and HMP East Sutton Park, I know that imprisonment doesn’t happen in isolation. The sentence belongs to one person, but its consequences spread much further.
Maintaining family relationships can also be part of rehabilitation. We want people to leave prison with stable relationships and some prospect of rebuilding their lives. Making those relationships harder to maintain deserves careful thought.
There must be consequences for serious misconduct. But surely we should ask whether a punishment achieves anything useful, or simply creates more suffering.
Prison is supposed to be the punishment. We should be careful about punishing everyone else.
Source: The Guardian, 22 October 2026, Geneva Abdul. www.theguardian.com/law/2026/oct/22/criminals-who-refuse-to-attend-sentencing-could-lose-prison-privileges-under-new-rules
Lou Myx is the author of Crime Doesn’t Pay, a memoir of life inside HMP Bronzefield and HMP East Sutton Park. Read more at loumyx.com.
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