Is this the end for liberal leaning Clarke

[youngmafbog]

Today DC will tell Clarke to take is soft judging and stick it where the sun dont shine, and about time too.

Just how much longer can this man survive as a Tory. It appears the liberals were all for voting the soft reforms in with him so I think we know where he really belongs.

Boris got it right on the head, "Soft is the perfect way to enjoy French cheese, but not how we should approach punishing criminals. It's time to stop shorter sentences and get-out clauses."

We need more jails or begin outsourcing, not less.

[ludwig]

Maybe we should do away with the police as well. That's save a few bob, and there's a fair chance no-one would notice except motorists and demonstrators.

[emmie]

perhaps some answered my post about this earlier. But why should criminals get out of jail early, makes no sense to me. Life should mean life, not 10 years, admit your guilt, get out in five or less, baloney.

[ludwig]

I was listening to something on radio 4 the other day - can't remember what or who, so I have no links or anything to back this up before anyone asks - but a lawyer was saying that under the current arrangements, if you take all the deals on offer, plead guilty, behave well, get parole etc, you can end up doing about 1/8th of the sentence anyway.

Clarke was just trying to extend the generous 'get out of jail' arangements that already exist to save a few more quid.

It's no surprise that the expense thieving MPs who are currently inside for fraud all decided to plead guilty in the end, after strenously denying any wrong doing up until their court cases.

[Kromovaracun]

"So my opinion is worth nothing becasue I have not imersed myself in the topic."

Seeing as you admit that you're not fully immersed, yes.

You are not qualified to pass judgement on this matter (and neither, for that matter, am I). Therefore your comments about Clarke's reforms are invalid and should not be listened to by anyone.

This doesn't mean people can't argue in the News section - it just means they have to think about just what they're saying, rather than posting knee-jerk reactions as if they have any authority or usefulness.

[Davethedog]

Our geols don't work? Is this based on fact or media driven babble.

You put someone in jail, you take them off the streets, some re-offend, no matter what they will re-offend. Others never go back.

In the US after three offences you get life or as good as but still people re-offend.

I don't have the answers but saying Our prisons don't work. is simply wrong. They work as well as anyone elses.

[ludwig]

I suggest you Ignore what kromovarcun says youngmafbog. He's not really qualified to pass judgement on what you should or shouldn't say.

[R1Geezer]

Perhaps if they wern't run by Joe Maplin Dave, less people would say those things.

[rov1100]

I see Dartmoor is being closed....if thats not going soft what is?

[emmie]

Perhaps they can go back and build prison ships, lots of room, and no way to get to them if they are anchored so far out.

[Gromit]

// Nearly 50% of released prisoners re-offend


Prisoners serving less than a year have the highest reoffending rate
Nearly half of prisoners released from prison go on to commit further offences, government figures indicate.
The percentage re-offending went up for the second year on a row to 49.4% - but is lower than in 2002 when 55% of prisoners committed further crimes. //

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8575034.stm

If prison is to teach them not to do it again, it is not working. If it is just for punishment, they still repeat offend, so that isn't working either.

[R1Geezer]

Our holiday camps are not punishment Gromit, that's part of the problem.

[Quizmonster]

"Today DC will tell Clarke to take is soft judging and stick it where the sun dont shine, and about time too." (sic)
As regards that opening sentence of the original question here, does anyone - other than The Sun and our own local righties - seriously imagine that Ken Clarke published his ideas without so much as even "running them by" David Cameron?
The guy's been hung out to dry!

[emmie]

the people who shouldn't be in jail are addicts, that's a waste of time, get them into rehab, with lots of backup, it wouldn't be easy, but surely being in prison makes no sense, if you can get hard drugs inside. I am aware that often the addict commits crimes to pay for the habit, but if you get to them early enough, that might stop.
I don't believe in letting hardened criminals out early, to rob, rape, murder again, no life should mean life. One figure put out yesterday was that it costs 43 grand a year to keep a prisoner, how do they get to that fiigure. I mean most people don't earn that, prison security guards, food, and what else?

[Quizmonster]

Em, I imagine that it is easy enough for those with access to the information to work out just how much annually it costs in total to run, say, Wakefield Prison... wages, maintenance, food etc etc. It is, therefore, not difficult - after taking prisoner numbers there over the year into account - to work out how much the per capita cost is. Someone has concluded that that cost is £43,000 in this case.

[Quizmonster]

Electricity, water, gas, transport, medical treatment for staff and inmates are just a handful of things that occur to me without even really thinking about it.