Brexit.

[Innula Zenovka]

In somewhat recent years, the UK seems more and more to have a miniature version of many of the bad qualities of the US.

Since 2010, successive governments have pursued a policy of "austerity" -- cuts in public spending -- which has meant, since governments have tried, to a greater or lesser extent, to protect spending on electorally sensitive areas, particularly the Health Service, welfare and education, other services have had to cope with huge cuts in real-terms funding. The problem has been particularly acute for the prison service, which has to cope with an ever-increasing prison population, caused primarily by government's desire to appear tough on crime by legislating to increase the guideline sentences for particular offences, combined with an aging prison estate, with many prisons dating from Victorian times.

I suspect they're floating this idea not because it's seriously being considered --there is, after all, no reason to expect that prison officers anywhere in Europe other than the Republic of Ireland would be fluent in English, it would make education and training while in prison very difficult for similar reasons, and it would make it very difficult for family members to visit inmates -- but in order to prepare public opinion for the most likely, though politically unpalatable, remedy of an early release scheme for more minor offenders.

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

In somewhat recent years, the UK seems more and more to have a miniature version of many of the bad qualities of the US.

Nope, the downhill slide began with Margaret Thatcher.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

The Conservative party is a far-right party and only Britain's smug and insular ignorance stops us saying so plainly

Of course it can bloody happen here!

nickcohen.substack.com

Fortunately, barring something very unforeseen (Keir Starmer caught on camera kicking a small child, maybe), we should see a Labour government some time next year.

Poll predicts landslide Labour election victory with 12 cabinet ministers losing their seats

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Could Nigel Farage really end up leading the Tory party?

George Osborne has reignited speculation that the former Ukip chief could rejoin the Conservative Party and become its leader. Sean O’Grady weighs the likelihood of a new Brexit Tory takeover

www.independent.co.uk

Evernote link

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Since 2010, successive governments have pursued a policy of "austerity" -- cuts in public spending -- which has meant, since governments have tried, to a greater or lesser extent, to protect spending on electorally sensitive areas, particularly the Health Service, welfare and education, other services have had to cope with huge cuts in real-terms funding. The problem has been particularly acute for the prison service, which has to cope with an ever-increasing prison population, caused primarily by government's desire to appear tough on crime by legislating to increase the guideline sentences for particular offences, combined with an aging prison estate, with many prisons dating from Victorian times.

I suspect they're floating this idea not because it's seriously being considered --there is, after all, no reason to expect that prison officers anywhere in Europe other than the Republic of Ireland would be fluent in English, it would make education and training while in prison very difficult for similar reasons, and it would make it very difficult for family members to visit inmates -- but in order to prepare public opinion for the most likely, though politically unpalatable, remedy of an early release scheme for more minor offenders.

And so it happens ...

Judges told not to jail rapists as prisons are full

Convicted rapists and burglars will be temporarily spared jail from next week after judges were told that prisons are full. Crown court judges have been orde

www.thetimes.co.uk

It's not quite as bad as the headline makes it sound, since it seems judges are being asked to delay sentencing hearings rather than to abandon sentencing guidelines altogether. Normally, a defendant convicted of rape who has been on bail during their trial might reasonably expect, all things being equal, to be granted limited bail until the sentencing hearing, generally held 4 to 6 weeks after the trial ends. So it just means that, in most cases, the convicted rapist will enjoy a few more weeks' freedom rather than escape prison completely.

The real story, I think, is buried in the middle of the article

The Times also understands, from crown court judges who have been issued with the guidance, that as soon as next week some prisoners will also be released early under proposals from justice ministers.

I don't actually have a problem with that, since one reason our prisons are so full is that English courts sentence far more harshly than do most other countries in Europe. However, that's because successive governments have taken the easy option, when confronted with public disquiet over crime rates, of promising to be "tough on crime" by increasing sentences, generally without any evidence that this is any sort of solution at all, let alone a cost-effective one, but not doing anything to increase the number of cells available to accommodate the larger number of inmates that is the inevitable result of such a policy.

"We'll crack down on crime by handing down longer prison sentences. Oh dear. We've run out of space. I know, let's release some prisoners early, to make room for the new ones."

Evernote link

 

[Essence Lumin]

"We'll crack down on crime by handing down longer prison sentences. Oh dear. We've run out of space. I know, let's release some prisoners early, to make room for the new ones."

Evernote link

The American way is to say fuck it, we'll just stack them in on top of each other and who cares if they die.

 

[Sid]

And so it happens ...

Judges told not to jail rapists as prisons are full

Convicted rapists and burglars will be temporarily spared jail from next week after judges were told that prisons are full. Crown court judges have been orde

www.thetimes.co.uk

It's not quite as bad as the headline makes it sound, since it seems judges are being asked to delay sentencing hearings rather than to abandon sentencing guidelines altogether. Normally, a defendant convicted of rape who has been on bail during their trial might reasonably expect, all things being equal, to be granted limited bail until the sentencing hearing, generally held 4 to 6 weeks after the trial ends. So it just means that, in most cases, the convicted rapist will enjoy a few more weeks' freedom rather than escape prison completely.

The real story, I think, is buried in the middle of the article



I don't actually have a problem with that, since one reason our prisons are so full is that English courts sentence far more harshly than do most other countries in Europe. However, that's because successive governments have taken the easy option, when confronted with public disquiet over crime rates, of promising to be "tough on crime" by increasing sentences, generally without any evidence that this is any sort of solution at all, let alone a cost-effective one, but not doing anything to increase the number of cells available to accommodate the larger number of inmates that is the inevitable result of such a policy.

"We'll crack down on crime by handing down longer prison sentences. Oh dear. We've run out of space. I know, let's release some prisoners early, to make room for the new ones."

Evernote link

The courts could go a bit easy on small potato crimes.
Here in NL one can be sentenced to an x number of hours mandatory community service instead of jail time for minor crimes. Especially with first time offenders.
That has several advantages, one of them is less inmates and that way enough room for serious perpetrators.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

The courts could go a bit easy on small potato crimes.
Here in NL one can be sentenced to an x number of hours mandatory community service instead of jail time for minor crimes. Especially with first time offenders.
That has several advantages, one of them is less inmates and that way enough room for serious perpetrators.

It's not really a problem that people are being sent to prison for minor offences. Rather, the problem is that, when they do something that certainly merits some sort of prison sentence, they get sentenced to a year when somewhere else they might get six months, or three years when elsewhere they might get only one.

No one would disagree that you need to people who persistently commit domestic burglaries to prison sooner or later -- not the first time, perhaps, and possibly not the second, but certainly after the third offence it's not unreasonable to send the offender to prison. However, one might question whether it's necessary to award a sentence of at least three years, which is what courts are currently required to, when not so long ago they'd have probably have given him 18 months or 2 years.

That's the problem -- it's very easy, when the public are rightly concerned about the possibility of being burgled, to announce you'll legislate to ensure burglars get longer sentences, in the hope that'll deter them -- which makes me wonder if many MPs have ever actually met an habitual domestic burglar (probably not) -- if you don't then increase the number of beds available in prisons to cope with the increased demand, sooner or later you hit the sort of problems we're now seeing.
That's very oversimplified, obviously -- the Prison Service has faced huge cuts in expenditure over the last 13 years, which means more and more cells have to be taken out of service because they're not properly maintained, for example -- but it broadly what's happening.

 

[Sid]

House arrests with electronic tagging (above the ankle) for certain convicted criminals could be a possibility too. That is used here too in the last years for long time sentenced criminals, so that they can get used to a life outside of the jail again step by step. And it makes room in jail houses as well.
For instance a 10 years sentence could mean 5 years in jail, 2.5 years house arrest in ones own home with ankle tagging and 2.5 years sentence reduction for good behavior (if so). Of course not possible for every inmate. It all depends on character and the kind of committed crime.
During the house arrest period there are training programs for reintegration in society. Even a job is a possibility for some.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

House arrests with electronic tagging (above the ankle) for certain convicted criminals could be a possibility too. That is used here too in the last years for long time sentenced criminals, so that they can get used to a life outside of the jail again step by step. And it makes room in jail houses as well.
For instance a 10 years sentence could mean 5 years in jail, 2.5 years house arrest in ones own home with ankle tagging and 2.5 years sentence reduction for good behavior (if so). Of course not possible for every inmate. It all depends on character and the kind of committed crime.
During the house arrest period there are training programs for reintegration in society. Even a job is a possibility for some.

We have electronic tagging, too, but only for a maximum of six months. That could certainly be used more extensively, but that would involve greatly expanding the Probation Service which, like the Prison Service and the rest of the criminal justice system and law enforcement generally, has suffered very large spending cuts over the last 13 years.

I'm a member of the Labour Party, so obviously I am no friend of the Conservatives, but I think everyone -- including most Conservatives other than members of the Government itself -- agrees that 13 years of "austerity" have done terrible damage to vital public services. And the criminal justice system, law enforcement, and the prison and probation services have suffered more than most.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Just 557 prison spaces left as jailed population hits new all-time high

Prison governors say it is ‘inevitable’ spaces will run out as male population rises by 400 in a fortnight

www.independent.co.uk

Evernote link

The number of people jailed in England and Wales has hit an all-time high, as ministers consider releasing prisoners early in a scramble for ways to avoid running out of prison spaces.

There are just 557 spaces left across the entire prison estate, with that number thought to be significantly lower in men’s jails, which also includes spots in Category D “open prisons”, for which most prisoners are not eligible.

The male prison population has grown by 192 in a week to hit 88,604, Ministry of Justice figures published on Friday show. It grew by 211 the previous week, when there were reported to be just 150 spaces remaining.

 

[Casey Pelous]

The courts could go a bit easy on small potato crimes.
Here in NL one can be sentenced to an x number of hours mandatory community service instead of jail time for minor crimes. Especially with first time offenders.
That has several advantages, one of them is less inmates and that way enough room for serious perpetrators.

House arrests with electronic tagging (above the ankle) for certain convicted criminals could be a possibility too. That is used here too in the last years for long time sentenced criminals, so that they can get used to a life outside of the jail again step by step. And it makes room in jail houses as well.
For instance a 10 years sentence could mean 5 years in jail, 2.5 years house arrest in ones own home with ankle tagging and 2.5 years sentence reduction for good behavior (if so). Of course not possible for every inmate. It all depends on character and the kind of committed crime.
During the house arrest period there are training programs for reintegration in society. Even a job is a possibility for some.

Just so you know we're not 100% savages, Sid, we do those things here, too.

(And yet, we still manage to have more people per capita in prison than any other "developed" country." Hey! USA #1! )

Most prisoners per capita by country 2025 | Statista

El Salvador struggles with high levels of violent crime, reflected in the fact that it has the largest prison population per capita worldwide.

www.statista.com

* Yes, I realize this is a really tricky term. The competition is El Salvador, Rwanda, Turkmenistan, American Samoa (?!), and Cuba.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

One of our best legal commentators on the state our British prisons are in and how they got there

Prison and Policy

When the policy approaches of a governing party do not add up

open.substack.com

Evernote link

 

[detrius]

I predict that the conservative approach to this issue will eventually condense to a combination of the following policies:

• Bring back the death penalty!
• Establish prison colonies! Like Australia!!
• Build private prisons!

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Rishi Sunak was warned by watchdog three years ago that prisons would be full by 2023

Exclusive: National Audit Office said government’s failure to invest and longer sentences were driving shortfall

www.independent.co.uk

Evernote link

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

The SNP lost two seats in the HoC to Labour in by-elections. Many commentators do see now the SNP in the beginning of its decline, therefore also a possible indepedence of Scotland fading away.

SNP loses Rutherglen and Hamilton West seat in 'spectacular fashion'

Scottish Labour's Michael Shanks has won the Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election. Mr Shanks defeated the SNP's Katy Loudon by 17,845 votes to 8,399 - a majority of 9,446 and a 20.36% swing from SNP to Scottish Labour.

news.sky.com

 

[Innula Zenovka]

The SNP lost two seats in the HoC to Labour in by-elections. Many commentators do see now the SNP in the beginning of its decline, therefore also a possible indepedence of Scotland fading away.

SNP loses Rutherglen and Hamilton West seat in 'spectacular fashion'

Scottish Labour's Michael Shanks has won the Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election. Mr Shanks defeated the SNP's Katy Loudon by 17,845 votes to 8,399 - a majority of 9,446 and a 20.36% swing from SNP to Scottish Labour.

news.sky.com

It's a single constituency called "Rutherglen and Hamilton West" that compromises two neighbouring districts, so only one by-election.

The SNP did, though, also lose a second Westminster seat to the Conservatives last week, when the MP for The MP for East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow (again, a single constituency, despite the name), Dr Lisa Cameron, defected to the Conservatives over what she describes as bullying by her colleagues.

SNP MP Lisa Cameron defects to Conservatives

Switch to the Tories comes on eve of Scottish National Party conference.

www.politico.eu

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Somehow, after our experience of Brexit, I don't think we'll be seeing Hexit any time soon.

 

[Veritable Quandry]

Without NATO membership, he would have a much more real concern with Russian aggression.

 

[Sid]

Hungary and Poland are two perfect examples why the EU should not be used to free Eastern European countries from the claws of Russia.
Their perception and tradition of freedom and democracy and their cultural values are way too far apart from the standards of the rest of the EU.
The same will happen when Ukraine will become member at the first possible moment.

The EU should not be a political shelter, but a union of like-minded members IMHO.
Same goes for NATO.