inmates and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases among the prison population are well documented. On average, one prisoner commits suicide every four or five days. Many prisoners have time on their hands. There is insufficient work and education and not enough is done to stop them from returning to crime. This is why three-quarters of young offenders discharged from prison are reconvicted after two years (Mathiesen 1990). Finally there seems to be a concern about the disproportionate numbers of members of minority groups who are found in prisons. They question whether this is a coincidence or the result of racial discrimination. If the regime is accompanied by an attitude that undermines a prisoner's confidence and self-esteem, then all the stated good intensions will be worth nothing, as prisoners who have suffered unjust treatment while serving their sentences are hardly candidates for rehabilitation (Murray 1997).
             The nation's prison system must be changed because of major problems with the system such as overcrowding, unsanitary conditions in prisons and conflicts between rank and file prison officers. Again, conflicts between prison officers and prisoners themselves often lead to injuries to both sides. Demonstrations of officer brutality and a series of disturbances and riots especially in long term security prisons have been documented (Hester and Elgin 1992).
             Since 1980, jail and prison populations have grown. Prisons in Britain have an acute overcrowding problem, Britain has the second highest per capita prison population in all of Western Europe, with 125 prisoners for every 100,000 of the population. Overcrowding is both inhumane to the prisoner and dangerous to the prison staff. (Murray 1997). Mindful of the fact that the physical and social conditions associated with prison overcrowding may result in outbreaks of violence in prisons, a development that
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