The Criminal Justice System in the UK.

[The Bedlington Terrier]

The Criminal Justice System in the UK.

On a different thread my old sparring partner sinkov mentioned the release of Colin Pitchfork on parole.

How on earth a double child killer and rapist can ever be deemed not to be a "risk to women" severely challenges my intellect.

If you think this is crazy try an indeterminate jail sentence on for size. An indeterminate sentence is a sentence that does not assign a set amount of jail time. For example, an indeterminate sentence specifies a range, such as “5 to 10 years,” or “15 years to life,” instead of sentencing someone to a set number of years in prison.

So, offenders who perhaps should have received a two year sentence find themselves incarcerated for very much longer and the parole board let them rot.

The inconsistencies in the "system" are bewildering.

[sinkov]

I would like to see some sort of personal liabilty introduced regarding Parole Board decisions. For instance, if Pitchfork lives the rest of his life as a model citizen, all well and good, but should he be convicted for any offence in the future, then those Parole Board members who authorised his release would have to serve a similar sentence.

That should make them think twice about inflicting convicted murderers and rapists on the general public.

[The Bedlington Terrier]

This is the one topic guaranteed to make my blood boil two ways at once sinkov. On the one hand some sentences are ludicrously long, while on the other some are ludicrously short.

It's usually non-white offenders who suffer the former and white offenders receiving the latter.

Perhaps Southgate and his lads could exert their attentions on this f*cking real and not perceived injustice?

[outwoodclaret]

Following the abolition of capital punishment in this country I think greater consideration should be given to whole life orders (life sentences without the possibility of parole) for those who commit extremely violent crimes.

[The Bedlington Terrier]

Following the abolition of capital punishment in this country I think greater consideration should be given to whole life orders (life sentences without the possibility of parole) for those who commit extremely violent crimes.

100% agree with you on that outwood. Stabbing someone with intent to harm or kill without the victim actually dying would evoke that penalty if I had my way.

[The Bedlington Terrier]

I've just watched this three part drama, it was gritty to say the least...

Owen Jones nails it.

https://www.theguardian.com/commenti...pinionuk_email

[ClaretinBudapest]

Cutural Marxism.The Frankfurt School Recommendation number 8:-

An unreliable legal system with bias against victims of crime

[sinkov]

I've just watched this three part drama, it was gritty to say the least...

Owen Jones nails it.

https://www.theguardian.com/commenti...pinionuk_email

I'm not sure Jones does nail it, I haven't seen this fictional programme so I can't comment on it, that there are serious problems with our prisons is indisputable, but to paint the picture as one of the Tories simply locking people up and throwing away the key to satisfy their rabid right-wing supporters is far too simplistic, just typical Grauniad Tory bashing.

I know someone who did two years for a fairly minor offence, I visited him in prison several times, he didn't particularly enjoy the experience but there was a serious attempt at rehabilitation, it was a fairly tolerable existence, no violence, no abuse, he came out the other side and got on with his life. It ain't all bad.

[The Bedlington Terrier]

I'm not sure Jones does nail it, I haven't seen this fictional programme so I can't comment on it, that there are serious problems with our prisons is indisputable, but to paint the picture as one of the Tories simply locking people up and throwing away the key to satisfy their rabid right-wing supporters is far too simplistic, just typical Grauniad Tory bashing.

I know someone who did two years for a fairly minor offence, I visited him in prison several times, he didn't particularly enjoy the experience but there was a serious attempt at rehabilitation, it was a fairly tolerable existence, no violence, no abuse, he came out the other side and got on with his life. It ain't all bad.

To be fair sinkov, it was actually Tony Blair who championed longer custodial sentences, harsher prison regimes and instigated the return of ill-gotten criminal gains.

More than 300 people who died in custody in 2020 will not be "getting on with their lives" sinkov...

https://www.gov.uk/government/statis...september-2020

I am of the opinion we incarcerate far too many offenders who could otherwise be punished outside of custodial confinement.

Without looking it up we have about 90,000 locked up in jail at any time of the year. I need to research it again, but a senior Court of Appeal Judge who regularly inspects jails thinks only about 10% of that number should be incarcerated to "protect members of the public" from potential harm.

In others words only about 10,000 offenders need to be banged up because they pose a serious risk to those of us on the "outside".

Case in point: the offender you know who got "two years for a fairly minor offence".

The problem the Tories have is real. They know the Criminal Justice System needs a serious overhaul, but "seeing to be soft on crime" is not really a vote catcher, so it's an awful lot easier to lock up nearly 100,000 offenders a year and chuck away billions of pounds that could be better spent elsewhere.

Tony Blair has an awful lot to answer for in my opinion.

[sinkov]

Have a look at Peter Hitchens in the Mail this morning BT, he has a slightly different take on it, good lad is Peter, it's Sunday, I'm feeling lazy, so he can put my thinking across for me.