Tue 18 Mar 2014

BREAKING - UK Prisons

Guitar playing prisoners have been ordered to return their electric and steel-stringed guitars after the Government recently banned them.

Kevin Brennan, MP for Cardiff West (and a guitarist), questioned why the coalition had ordered the return of the guitars despite the potential benefits of music and guitars in rehabilitating offenders?

Mr Brennan said: "I don't know about you but I'm quite a big fan of the late Johnny Cash who performed in prisons and Billy Bragg who started the initiative Jail Guitar Doors to provide guitars to those using musical instruments as a means of rehabilitation in prison.

So why has the Government banned the use of most of these instruments by ordering prisoners to return steel-stringed and electric guitars?"


Responding to the query, Prisons Minister Jeremy Wright said the specific reasons of why the guitars were banned were 'beyond his level of expertise' but said he would ensure the restrictions were appropriate.

What do you think? Was this appropriate? Should guitars be banned in prisons?