Capitalism is our prison

Scotland’s jail population is 7894, comprising around 7462 men and 432 women.

West Dunbartonshire has one of the worst prison rates in Scotland, a new report reveals. The number of adults hailing from the Dumbarton, Alexandria and Clydebank areas who are banged up behind bars is 48 percent higher than the national average.

The local authority area contains the third highest prison level in the country with 265 prisoners per 100,000 people, compared to only 179 per 100,000 across Scotland.

However, West Dunbartonshire’s incarceration rate per 100,000 in adult population lags behind worst place Dundee and second worst Glasgow. The statistics, based on 2013 occupancy rates, reveal that the majority of prisoners are male — 184 men and young males compared to just 12 female.

The study flags up a strong link between jail population and area deprivation. West Dunbartonshire is frequently ranked among the most poverty-blighted areas in Scotland. Between 22 percent and 26 percent of the area’s children and young people are currently living in poverty, while 23 percent of families in West Dunbartonshire are materially deprived.

“Years ago I recognized my kinship with all living beings, and I made up my mind then that I was not one bit better than the meanest on earth. I said then, and I say now, that while there is a lower class, I am in it; and while there is a criminal element, I am of it; and while there is a soul in prison, I am not free.” Eugene V Debs