Archive for the ‘Sentencing’ Category

28 days

Professor Ken Pease astutely points out in a report published today for a right wing think tank that offenders are prevented from committing crimes against the general public while in prison (they can of course beat, scald, rape and attack staff and other inmates but let’s leave that aside.) But he suggests that keeping prisoners [...]

August 28, 2010  Tags:   Posted in: Government policy, Headline grabbing, Overcrowding, Prisons, Sentencing, Uncategorized, Victims  One Comment

Viva la rehabilitation revolution?

There has been a lot of talk in the criminal justice sector about a ‘rehabilitation revolution’.  This is the coalition government’s catchy phrase for its forthcoming justice reforms and many professionals are puzzling out what exactly a rehabilitation revolution might look like.  The coalition’s programme of government says:
We will [...]

June 22, 2010  Tags: ,   Posted in: Government policy, Prisons, Rehabilitation, Sentencing  No Comments

Ken Clarke asks the question

I don’t often read the Daily Mail and cheer, but today the report that Kenneth Clarke is planning to cut the prison budget by slashing jail sentences was the best news I have heard in a long time. Also welcome was his comment that public fears over crime were overblown, although I am not sure [...]

June 14, 2010  Tags: ,   Posted in: Government policy, Prisons, Sentencing  One Comment

Former employee of secure training centre charged with violence towards teenage boy

A former member of staff at a child jail has been given a 40-week suspended prison sentence after he admitted to dragging a teenage boy across the floor.
Neil Hanna, aged 27, was employed as a team leader at Rainsbrook Secure Training Centre, near Daventry, in September 2008 when he was sent outside to bring a [...]

May 5, 2010   Posted in: Children and young people, Inside prisons, Prison officers, Prisons, Sentencing  One Comment

Less crime, safer communities, fewer people in prison

We have launched our new campaign, which you can find by visiting our website.  Please take two minutes to take action for the Howard League and help us put penal reform at the top of the political agenda during the general election and beyond.

March 5, 2010  Tags:   Posted in: Campaigns, Children and young people, Government policy, Howard League, Overcrowding, Prisons, Public Services, Rehabilitation, Sentencing, Victims  No Comments

Youth sentencing

The Prison Reform Trust has published statistics showing variation in the use of prison custody between youth courts across the country. Courts such as Bridgend, Rotherham (maybe it is to do with the food? remember that was Jamie Oliver’s shock horror television programme), Derby and Wolverhampton. The custody rates are not related to crime rates, [...]

February 16, 2010  Tags:   Posted in: Children and young people, Sentencing, Uncategorized  One Comment

John Redwood on prison reform

I notice that John Redwood has suggested that burglars and car thieves should not be sent to prison but should pay compensation instead and that this would do more to help victims and achieve the government’s target of reducing prison costs. He makes the argument that victims are doubly victimised by having to pay the [...]

January 25, 2010  Tags: ,   Posted in: Sentencing  2 Comments

The naked rambler

The naked rambler, Stephen Gough, could spend the rest of his life in prison, in Scotland. Interesting that the English have decided that action should not be taken through the criminal justice system, but the Scots are pursuing him relentlessly. After spending a year in Perth prison, the police were waiting for him on his [...]

January 15, 2010   Posted in: Sentencing, Uncategorized  No Comments

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

The consequences of a political stampede on anti-social behaviour

The Guardian has a front page story today based on an ICM poll of voting intentions that the Conservative lead is down to 9 points over Labour. So the outcome of the general election is looking a lot less certain than in recent months. We could have a hung parliament, or a slim Labour lead [...]

December 15, 2009  Tags: , ,   Posted in: Government policy, Sentencing, Women in custody, anti-social behaviour  2 Comments