Archive for the ‘Headline grabbing’ Category

Rage against the machine

It seems that rage is the centre of the news today.  Whether we have the right to inflict retribution following an assault in our home, and raging against the pop music of television talent shows.
Chris Grayling, Tory shadow home secretary, has said his party in government would strengthen the rights of householders to defend themselves [...]

December 21, 2009  Tags: , ,   Posted in: Headline grabbing, Sentencing  No Comments

Keir Starmer lecture on the role of the modern prosecutor

The Director of Public Prosecutions, Keir Starmer QC, gave a lecture for the Howard League last night discussing issues about the role of the prosecutors in dealing with young people. There were plenty of references to his defence of the Human Rights Act and consequent media attention, but I was really pleased to see that [...]

October 23, 2009  Tags: ,   Posted in: Children and young people, Headline grabbing, Howard League, Uncategorized  2 Comments

Naming and shaming, postal strikes and pensions

So poor little Baby Peter’s mother and her partner have their photographs splashed across every media outlet.  The judge who allowed them to be identified said this would somehow increase confidence in the criminal justice system, although I challenge that.  I am at a loss to understand how public prurience serves the cause of justice.  [...]

August 11, 2009  Tags: , ,   Posted in: Children and young people, Headline grabbing  No Comments

Prison is no place for children

The Telegraph and other papers are carrying stories that Warren Hill prison for children is some sort of holiday camp.  These stories appear from time to time and the only difference this time is that the papers have extracted the juicy titbit that children can, weirdly, pick their own lavatory seat.  All this makes for [...]

July 28, 2009  Tags: ,   Posted in: Children and young people, Headline grabbing, Inside prisons, Prisons  One Comment

Crime rates down! Read all about it?

The crime statistics just published are really encouraging and do indicate that we are becoming a safer society.  Of course particularly gratifying is the reduction in the homicide rate.  In the last ten years vehicle crime, domestic burglary and crimes of violence have all gone down substantially.  This means fewer victims and should be the [...]

July 17, 2009  Tags: , ,   Posted in: Headline grabbing  One Comment

Headline grabbing

Chris Grayling, the shadow home secretary, has been busy.  Today he is talking about extradition laws and the papers this morning are reporting his idea that the police should take mobile phones from young people as a punishment.  I support his scepticism about the effectiveness of anti-social behaviour orders but am concerned that people invent [...]

July 15, 2009  Tags: , , ,   Posted in: Headline grabbing  One Comment