OVER-50S IN NO-NONSENSE YORKSHIRE SUPPORT MORE USE OF PRISONS AS PUNISHMENT.

EMMA SOAMES

SAGA MAGAZINE
PRESS RELEASE

August 4, 2010.

OVER-50S IN NO-NONSENSE YORKSHIRE SUPPORT MORE USE OF PRISONS AS PUNISHMENT.

Working class over-50s from Yorkshire and the North East are far more likely to support criminals being thrown in jail than anywhere else in the UK – and believe prisons should be used far more for punishment. 
 
More than 40% of over-50s in the UK overall say there should be more use of prisons in the UK, with men far more likely than women to recommend somebody be locked up for committing a crime. 
 
That’s the finding of an independent survey of 13,391 people for Saga, the over-50s lifestyle, financial services and travel organisation. 
  
“Older people’s values are rooted in the past, and they like to see wrong-doing punished - they’d probably also say that an old-fashioned clip round the ear, if it weren’t likely to draw a huge fine or prison sentence, would probably have played a big part in discouraging youngsters from lives of crime and violence,” said Emma Soames, 60, editor-at-large of Saga Magazine. 
 
“But it’s good to see that Yorkshire upholds its image and reputation for no-nonsense attitudes. The Saga Generation in the region clearly takes a very dim view of crime, and although this obviously does not affect sentencing, it would certainly indicate how intolerant the community would be of criminal behaviour." 
 
The survey revealed that people in Yorkshire, Humberside and the North East are most supportive of imposing custodial sentences – 47% of those surveyed said more use should be made of prisons, while over-50s in the South West were least supportive of custody – 37% supported more prison use. 
 
Of those surveyed in the London area, 36% said there should be less use of prisons, but Yorkshire and the North East disagreed, with just 22% of those surveyed saying prisons should be used less to punish crimes. 

Populus received 13,391 responses from Saga members aged 50 and over to its online poll for Saga between 9th and 16th July 2010.

Ends

Further information:
Iain Macauley
im@pressrelations.co.uk
07788 978800
www.saga.co.uk

Emma Soames, editor-at-large, was editor of Saga Magazine from 2002-2008. Previously she edited the Telegraph Magazine for seven years and before that was editor of ES Magazine, Tatler and the Literary Review.