With the prison population in England & wales over 80,000 and bursting at the seems, what should be done to resolve the problem. Should less criminals be sent to jail, should we reduce sentences(which are already low),should we release them and tag them, build more prisons.

 

Those judges who decided to release offenders back into their communities were even less helpful to Reid’s cause. Two allowed sex offenders to walk free from their courts to the outrage of local communities

Reid was under pressure to act, but his decision to appeal to the judges now appears a crass political error that could cost him his job. Even senior police officers, usually loyal to Reid’s cause, were yesterday openly critical.

CLIVE GOODMAN was in a surprisingly buoyant mood when he climbed into the dock at the Old Bailey to hear his sentence on Friday. The royal editor of the News of the World had every reason to believe that, in the wake of the government’s decision last week to spare all but the worst offenders from jail, the nature of his own transgressions — tapping Prince William’s phone messages to aides — might lead him to walk away a free man.

Moments later, however, his hopes were dashed as Mr Justice Gross handed him a four-month jail term. Last night he was in Belmarsh prison.

 

Is it right a journalist gets locked up for phone tapping, but paedophiles escape jail.

 

There are now more inmates serving life and indeterminate sentences in England and Wales than in Germany, France, Italy and Turkey combined.

 

Reid is now in an unenviable position. He will be damned if the judges start setting free offenders who in normal circumstances would be jailed. And he will be damned if they do not because the prisons will not be able to cope.

There are 8,000 extra places already planned. However, they will not all be available until 2011. Senior prison service officials believe it will only be a matter of time before he begins to give serious consideration to the “nuclear option†of releasing prisoners early.

 

Another alternative is to remove nearly 11,000 foreign prisoners — double the level in 1997. There has been some discussion of sending them home to finish their sentences but no action has been taken so far.

Finally, Reid could expand the use of tagging, letting prisoners out early if they agree to be electronically monitored. The “home curfew†scheme is, however, unpopular with prison governors who fear ministers will blame them if criminals reoffend.

 

 

 

None of the options offers an easy solution to the crisis and in the meantime Reid’s future may hinge on the judiciary, whom he so carelessly castigated. He is unlikely to be expecting leniency.

There are 8,000 extra places already planned. However, they will not all be available until 2011. Senior prison service officials believe it will only be a matter of time before he begins to give serious consideration to the “nuclear option†of releasing prisoners early.

 

Another alternative is to remove nearly 11,000 foreign prisoners — double the level in 1997. There has been some discussion of sending them home to finish their sentences but no action has been taken so far.

Finally, Reid could expand the use of tagging, letting prisoners out early if they agree to be electronically monitored. The “home curfew†scheme is, however, unpopular with prison governors who fear ministers will blame them if criminals reoffend.

 

 

 

None of the options offers an easy solution to the crisis and in the meantime Reid’s future may hinge on the judiciary, whom he so carelessly castigated. He is unlikely to be expecting leniency.

 

Build more prisons, use old military bases and oil rigs and ships as prisons. Lock up criminals who are a danger to the public but give community sentences to white collar criminals like tax evaders, VAT evaders, people who don't pay council tax and so on

There will just be prisons everywhere though, which wouldn't be nice.

Edited January 28, 200718 yr by x-The_Royston_Poisoner-x

There will just be prisons everywhere though, which wouldn't be nice.

 

I would rather have prisons everywhere than dangerous or violent criminals out on the streets

I would rather have prisons everywhere than dangerous or violent criminals out on the streets

 

If they bought back the death penalty for those who've got life anyway there wouldnt be this problem.

If they bought back the death penalty for those who've got life anyway there wouldnt be this problem.

 

What if they are not guilty/new evidence/police corruption/faulty testing procedures/confession under duress/mentally ill and many other reasons ? happens SEVERAL times a year and probably 0.1% of the prison population at best is serving a sentence for murder

What if they are not guilty/new evidence/police corruption/faulty testing procedures/confession under duress/mentally ill and many other reasons ? happens SEVERAL times a year and probably 0.1% of the prison population at best is serving a sentence for murder

 

Maybe bringing it back might cut crime down? Because people know life doesn't mean life nowdays and they're let out after a while.

Maybe bringing it back might cut crime down? Because people know life doesn't mean life nowdays and they're let out after a while.

 

The death penalty exists in much of America and the murder rate per 100,000 people is much higher than compared with here, its not an effective deterrent, when Texas bought in the death penalty in the following 3 years the number of murders increased

The death penalty exists in much of America and the murder rate per 100,000 people is much higher than compared with here, its not an effective deterrent, when Texas bought in the death penalty in the following 3 years the number of murders increased

 

Oh that's surprising.

It really is an utter shambles isn't it...? The Govt actually knew years ago that this was going to be a problem and did sod all about it... Now the sodding Home Office are sending totally ambiguous letters to Judges saying "oh, remember that our prisons are nearly choc-a-bloc, and DO bear this in mind when you're handing out sentences...", and then they just try to wash their hands of it when the sh!t starts hitting the fan.... "Not our fault Guv, we didn't actually say they had to let Paedos off with suspended sentences...", yeah, right.... A bit like the Party Official who only rubber stamps the order to send thousands of Jews, Gypsies, Homosexuals, etc off to the Concentration Camp claiming it's not their problem and they're only "following orders".... <_< Bollocks.. The Home Office IS responsible, John Reid IS responsible for this utter fiasco... There was a famous American President who once had a sign on his desk saying "The Buck Stops Here!", to whit, "I am in charge, and I take responsibility for any fukk ups..", if you were to see a sign of the Home Secertary's desk it would probably be "The Buck Stops With Anyone Else We Can Pin The Blame On...". Have you noticed that John Reid is a very quiet man these days..? Not so long ago, you couldn't get the fukker to shut up.... <_<

 

Oh, and let's not forget the bloke in charge of Young Offenders Institutes who resigned at the same time because there were too many kids in prison who could be dealt with outwith the system more effectively because their crimes were not that serious... So, we've got young kids IN prison who SHOULDN'T be, and dirty fukkin Paedophiles OUT of prison.... You couldn't make this sh!t up, seriously..... :wacko: :wacko:

The death penalty exists in much of America and the murder rate per 100,000 people is much higher than compared with here, its not an effective deterrent, when Texas bought in the death penalty in the following 3 years the number of murders increased

 

Correct. The Death Penalty is no deterrent, the US is proof positive of this... And I dont see how anyone who criticised the absolutely shameful way in which the Saddam Hussein death sentence was carried out can possibly be in favour of it... You honestly think just because we are British and they are Iraqi that somehow things would be different..? Nonsense, the Death Penalty is an uncivilised aberration and an affront to any decent society, and is the ultimate hypocrisy... It's not okay for you or I to kill someone for ANY reason, but perfectly acceptable for the State to do so...