Reform Policies

noseall · 25 Feb 2026

IT Minion said:
I think it's an idea that looks feasible on paper but will fail in reality.

If it was any good, Labour would have copied it.

MNW67 · 25 Feb 2026

IT Minion said:
I think it's an idea that looks feasible on paper but will fail in reality.

They claim they'll be dynamic places but what country is going to agree to build and staff a prison to UK standards if they're not going to fill it. We'd end up paying for the building and committing to a minimum charge and then spend two years working out it's not legal.

How many extra suicides, extra violence, Extra re-offending are we happy with? How much is it really going to save? It'll take a parliamentary term just to get started on building the new facilities so when it gets scrapped we'll be in the same place as the Rwanda deal.

Even the last Tory government looked at it and decided it wasn't good value for money.

They were looking at the Scandinavian style prisons in Estonia. Not hell holes in El Salvador.

motorbiking · 25 Feb 2026

IT Minion said:
I think it's an idea that looks feasible on paper but will fail in reality.

They claim they'll be dynamic places but what country is going to agree to build and staff a prison to UK standards if they're not going to fill it. We'd end up paying for the building and committing to a minimum charge and then spend two years working out it's not legal.

How many extra suicides, extra violence, Extra re-offending are we happy with? How much is it really going to save? It'll take a parliamentary term just to get started on building the new facilities so when it gets scrapped we'll be in the same place as the Rwanda deal.

Even the last Tory government looked at it and decided it wasn't good value for money.

When you look at how quickly the military stood up the mega bases in Afghanistan and how cheaply they did it. You can see how things can be done.

IT Minion · 25 Feb 2026

MNW67 said:
They were looking at the Scandinavian style prisons in Estonia. Not hell holes in El Salvador.

We would consider multiple partners including El Salvador.

I think that's from a Reform spokesman. So yes, they were/are considering it. After all: hell holes in El-Salvador is a plus for some reform voters.

IT Minion · 25 Feb 2026

motorbiking said:
When you look at how quickly the military stood up the mega bases in Afghanistan and how cheaply they did it. You can see how things can be done.

They can do things fast, the Royal Engineers are trained to throw up buildings at speed. But are you suggesting we invade El-Salvador to send them in, or just persuading the parent country to lose out on those juicy construction jobs.

motorbiking · 25 Feb 2026

I am sure they have the ability to build decent prisons and run them for less money.

There are plenty of developing countries that do things well. Thailand, for example has excellent low cost private healthcare.

Vietnam is rapidly replacing Europe as the place to build boats.

IT Minion · 25 Feb 2026

motorbiking said:
I am sure they have the ability to build decent prisons and run them for less money.

There are plenty of developing countries that do things well. Thailand, for example has excellent low cost private healthcare.

Great,

Thai prisons are known for severe overcrowding, harsh conditions, and, in some cases, notorious reputations. Thailand has one of the world's highest incarceration rates, with over 280,000 inmates, mostly for drug-related offenses. Facilities like Bang Kwang ("The Big Tiger") are notorious for extreme overcrowding, poor hygiene, meager food, and strict security...

So we have to get Thailand to build new bespoke luxury prisons to our standards as the local ones aren't legal for UK prisoners, retrain any local staff and then contract that wonderful private healthcare.

And if we're not using the RE then referencing their ability to build stuff is pretty irrelevant.

MNW67 · 25 Feb 2026

motorbiking said:
I am sure they have the ability to build decent prisons and run them for less money.

There are plenty of developing countries that do things well. Thailand, for example has excellent low cost private healthcare.

It's about political acceptability. A British citizen being sent to a well regarded European country is very different to a British citizen being sent half way across the world to a country which is thought of as a notorious hell hole. The voters would accept the first but not the second.

motorbiking · 25 Feb 2026

MNW67 said:
It's about political acceptability. A British citizen being sent to a well regarded European country is very different to a British citizen being sent half way across the world to a country which is thought of as a notorious hell hole. The voters would accept the first but not the second.

If you were sent down for minimum 20 years, would people care if 10 of those were overseas. Belmarsh costs the taxpayer around £50-60M a year for 1000 inmates.
I can think of dozens who nobody would care about.

IT Minion · 25 Feb 2026

motorbiking said:
If you were sent down for minimum 20 years, would people care if 10 of those were overseas. Belmarsh costs the taxpayer around £50-60M a year for 1000 inmates.
I can think of dozens who nobody would care about.

Don't forget the extra overheads involved when those prisoners need legal support, transport, etc.

But let's pretend that it's not just a dream, the only sane way to try it would be to copy Denmark and commit to 300 or so places for 10 years then scale up once you know the real cost. How many places are Reform promising to get established in their 5 years?

MNW67 · 25 Feb 2026

motorbiking said:
If you were sent down for minimum 20 years, would people care if 10 of those were overseas. Belmarsh costs the taxpayer around £50-60M a year for 1000 inmates.
I can think of dozens who nobody would care about.

Most voters do care. Britain is still a compassionate country. The plan to use El Salvador will be dropped.

motorbiking · 25 Feb 2026

IT Minion said:
Don't forget the extra overheads involved when those prisoners need legal support, transport, etc.

But let's pretend that it's not just a dream, the only sane way to try it would be to copy Denmark and commit to 300 or so places for 10 years then scale up once you know the real cost. How many places are Reform promising to get established in their 5 years?

I’m sure the idea will evolve

IT Minion · 25 Feb 2026

motorbiking said:
I’m sure the idea will evolve

It'd be nice if it had evolved a bit more by the time it was in their manifesto. This is 'free broadband for everyone' territory. They're promising stuff with no idea how to deliver it.

King Billy · 26 Feb 2026

motorbiking said:
Additionally f2f visitation is very low among these offenders.

Show us the data and the source.

King Billy · 26 Feb 2026

motorbiking said:
Off-Shore Criminals of certain categories who are serving long sentences to reduce cost

And create other costs for visitors accommodation, etc.

Reform Policies

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