NationStates Jolt Archive

Long overdue. Too many politicans have spent years posturing about being "tough on crime" and putting pressure on judges to send more people to prison, esp short sentances for petty crime which has a huge re-offending rate.

Prisons are for serious criminals, keep the petty ones out doing community service, cleaning graffiti etc etc.

Tony Blair has warned Judges throughout the nation to only jail the most dangerous and persistant criminals...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6295613.stm

Thoughts?

Tony Blair has warned Judges throughout the nation to only jail the most dangerous and persistant criminals...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6295613.stm

Thoughts?

makes sense to me - if they arent dangerous, perhaps house arrest would be better or whatever. punishment fitting the crime kinda thing perhaps.

Long overdue. Too many politicans have spent years posturing about being "tough on crime" and putting pressure on judges to send more people to prison, esp short sentances for petty crime which has a huge re-offending rate.

Prisons are for serious criminals, keep the petty ones out doing community service, cleaning graffiti etc etc.


yep! especially community service in bright orange suits, preferably where their friends hang out.

makes sense to me - if they arent dangerous, perhaps house arrest would be better or whatever. punishment fitting the crime kinda thing perhaps.

I just want to point out the article mentions "most dangerous" by that I'm to assume some "dangerous" criminals will avoid jail time due to the prison crisis...

I just want to point out the article mentions "most dangerous" by that I'm to assume some "dangerous" criminals will avoid jail time due to the prison crisis...

Don't blindly trust what the reporter writes in the article - it's not a direct quote.

Mr Reid, in a speech to the Newspaper Society on Tuesday, said courts should not be "squandering taxpayers' money to monitor non-dangerous and less serious offenders".

The public have a right to expect protection from violent and dangerous offenders," he said.

"Prisons are an expensive resource that should be used to protect the public and to rehabilitate inmates and stop them reoffending."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6293225.stm

I just want to point out the article mentions "most dangerous" by that I'm to assume some "dangerous" criminals will avoid jail time due to the prison crisis...Nah, they'll just keep cramming them in. The BBC reported three prisons that were at 130% capacity. I didn't even know we let prisons operate above capacity.

Although I agree that prison space should be reserved for the most serious offenders, I think that Blair and the Labour Party SHOULD KEEP THEIR NOSES OUT OF JUDGE'S BUSINESS!!! Seriously, its not their job to be breathing down the necks of the judiciary, their job is to make the law, let the judges do their own job.

This is awful. If only we had capital punishment, and a less myopic government, punishment would resemble an effective measure again.

Reading into that, I think it's a very sensible recommendation.

I never saw the point in putting benefit thiefs in jail... couple days ago there was a story on the news about a guy in the UK who had collected government support for over a decade, as he was allegedly crippled and could not work. The whole thing blew up when a picture of him running a marathon was published in a local newspaper. That guy was sentenced to several months (can't recall the exact number, sorry) in prison... I think that's ridiculous. Make him do community work to pay back the money he stole, don't send him to prison where society will again have to pay for his lodging and food again.

This is awful. If only we had capital punishment, and a less myopic government, punishment would resemble an effective measure again.
Thesaurus much?

Ignoring what can only be described as twaddle from Chris, this isn’t a big announcement, just Blair trying to score some points during the continuing Home Office fiasco. Some jails have had to house pre-trial prisoners in cells declared unfit for human habitation.

Fury in Britain...

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/01/26/uk.pedophiles.reut/index.html

now the jail sentences are based on prison compacity compared to the crime...

Jailing people who commit crimes just to jail them is a waste of tax money, jail space, the jailee's life, and the safety of those who work in prisons having to watch more people.

Punishment should fit the crime, anyone "tough on crime" is just pandering to the voters and not actually doing a job worth being paid for. Though that still says they are fucking smarter than the voters.

Fury in Britain...

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/01/26/uk.pedophiles.reut/index.html

now the jail sentences are based on prison compacity compared to the crime...

It's crap whipped up by the tabloids and the opposition.

That sentance was within the pre-existing guidelines, the problem's been judges sending too many people to jail previously. The judge is just trying to make trouble. Besides, what was Reid supposed to do, the prison overcrowding problem was there long before he was in charge of it and you can't just keep stuffing people into places where there isn't any room, just doesn't work.

Fury in Britain...

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/01/26/uk.pedophiles.reut/index.html

now the jail sentences are based on prison compacity compared to the crime...

Don't believe the hype, it's the tabloids playing up again.

If there was room to imprison the entire population I would not put it past the Rev Smiler to find some bollocks mechanism to do so.

(yeah I am being slightly tongue in cheek but not by much...)

Interestingly enough, Blair has done no such thing. All he's done is support the letter sent to judges by the Home Secretary reminding them of sentencing guidelines, he's not sent anything to the Judges at all.

Jailing people who commit crimes just to jail them is a waste of tax money, jail space, the jailee's life, and the safety of those who work in prisons having to watch more people.

Punishment should fit the crime, anyone "tough on crime" is just pandering to the voters and not actually doing a job worth being paid for. Though that still says they are fucking smarter than the voters.
QFT. Even the England & Wales Chief Justice has tried pointing this out, and yet the government still seems to be (unsuccessfully) following the tabloid "LOCK 'EM UP AND THROW AWAY THE KEY!!!" approach for even minor and victimless crimes, including, according to this mornings Mirror, bringing too much wine through the Chunnel. Plus, there are prisoners with mental illnesses and drug addictions that prison won't cure.

Waste of time, effort and money.

This is awful. If only we had capital punishment, and a less myopic government, punishment would resemble an effective measure again.
Because the Conservatives are obviously going to be able to do a better job of things, what with offering tax cuts, but at the same time talking of improved services?

Where's the money going to come from, eh?

*Goes to Britain and steals a HDTV* hee hee hee.

Interestingly enough, Blair has done no such thing. All he's done is support the letter sent to judges by the Home Secretary reminding them of sentencing guidelines, he's not sent anything to the Judges at all.

I agree. Give or take a few outraged Daily Mail editorials, this will make very little difference to anything.

Tony Blair has warned Judges throughout the nation to only jail the most dangerous and persistant criminals...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6295613.stm

Thoughts?
It makes sense. Too many petty criminals go to prison and come out as drug-addled violent bastards ready to re-offend.