A Lasting Grand Design

We have only had our allotment since end of last year (Nov/2014) and have learnt that to get the most from the allotment requires a lot of time, energy and effort - sometimes to get minimal returns. 

But gardening in the evening watching the sunset, picking the weeds knowing you will see them again, chewing on a broadbean picked freshly and mostly seeing the fruit and vegetables grow is possibly the most rewarding thing that has been given to all of us.  

This is a suggestion for a Lasting Grand Design Project for Kevin McCloud of Grand Designs fame, the legacy of a great programme...

... let’s turn prisons into gardens!


46%
of adults are reconvicted
£36,808 
Annual cost of a prison place
1994
Overcrowded in every year since
84,305
Prison population

When it can be said by any country in the world, my poor are happy, neither ignorance nor distress is to be found among them, my jails are empty of prisoners, my streets of beggars, the aged are not in want, the taxes are not oppressive, the rational world is my friend because I am the friend of happiness. When these things can be said, then may that country boast its constitution and government."
 - - Thomas Paine, Rights of Man - -

For prisoners we have failed them, for society we have taxed them and for families we have removed hope from them.

A suggestion of what is needed:
* Gardening daily for all prisoners - life skills, manual labour, exercise, time to reflect
* Persistent weeding as an activity - no pesticides
* Vegan diet - waste into manure?
* Self sustaining where possible on all aspects
* Grow hemp to create own clothes
* Generate own electricity for needs
* Water wheel to bring in water - manual process
* Not much concept of leisure time - work/sleep/think during labour
* Work only in daylight - reduces power consumption
* Goods sold as money - for when released
* Food produced given to prisoners’ own family - a way to provide for them in a big way
* Prisoners given choice between Lazy Prison (current system) and Active Prison (garden, dynamo)

So with your experience we can change the world for the better, with your experience from all those grand designs fed into a solution for prison building where growing is the culture.

Out of reoffending, overcrowding, prison population and cost - this would definitely reduce the costs, and possibly reduce all of the others.

Impossible? Only because it hasn't been tried yet...contact me with the form below to start this project today.




Sources:
Prison: the facts Bromley Briefings Summer 2014
Prison Working Garden
A magical material - Paper / Food / Medicine / Plastic / Fibers

Comments

  1. Sent to James @ granddesignsmagazine.com as a possible Final Grand Design for Kevin McCloud to complete.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sent to Labour Party - new leader then maybe a new way to look at the world?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Have talked about his on the Front Page website..
    "CALIFORNIA PROVES REDUCING INMATES DOESN'T REDUCE PRISON COSTS"
    http://www.frontpagemag.com/point/266919/california-proves-reducing-inmates-doesnt-reduce-daniel-greenfield

    ReplyDelete
  4. I've come to the conclusion this is about choice. You give criminals the choice of 'lazy prison' (current setup, everything provided) or 'active prison' (gardening, dynamos). The names used are to nudge the criminals decision. So two types of prision exist and they get to choose. Now, the idea is that over time they will choose the 'active prison' by default (80%). But at the same time we can see which is the most successful in this experiment - re-offenders and crime inside the prison.
    src: http://www.frontpagemag.com/point/266919/california-proves-reducing-inmates-doesnt-reduce-daniel-greenfield

    ReplyDelete

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