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A clean (jail) break?

Fri Jul 03 11:41AM

Cherie Booth's Commission on English Prisons Today has come riding to the rescue of England's fit-to-burst places of correction. A shame it's not clear whether the politicians are listening.

By Alex Stevenson

Yesterday's report is the result of two years' hard labour (pardon the pun. Sorry, pardon that pun too). It proposes a radical reduction in the number of prison places and the closure of several prison establishments, shifting the emphasis to local preventive measures.

Is this so radical? Its commissioners think not. "It's perfectly possible to have less crime, safer communities and fewer people in prison," chairman Professor David Wilson explained at today's report launch.

Accepting that's the case is actually quite easy to do. Crime levels have declined by 43 per cent, Ms Booth, claims, but prison numbers have shot up. Before the sudden rise in the prison population in 1993 there were only 42,000 inmates. Now we're close to double that level. Something's got to give.

For politicians acceptance is much harder, however. They are constantly under pressure to be harder, stricter, less compromising. That may be why today's report has tried to present a way out of this dead end.

"This is not a counsel of despair, this is a very positive report," Ms Booth told politics.co.uk. By spending public money "more wisely" the community can be made safer. "That's a win-win situation," she said.

Her upbeat approach offers a dramatic way out. If the choice is between continuing with business as usual and making a clean break, it's clear which presents a bolder option for policymakers.

This is why it may have been an error to duck out of providing any specific targets. The broad-brush approach, providing principles, was the result of a deliberate "tactical" ploy. Not all those present at the report approved, fearing it might undermine rather than enhance its effectiveness.

"There's a real danger in getting fixated with numbers," Ms Booth lamented, while Professor Ian Loader of Oxford University, a fellow commissioner, insisted a tactical mistake had yet to be made. "It's possible we might have done," he conceded.

A similar lack of specificity was present in the answer to the question from politics.co.uk, on the length of the "long-term" transition required.

"There are some things we could do pretty quickly," Ms Booth said. She is a woman in a hurry: "The question we have to deal with is happening now, and so the solution has to start happening now."

Prof Loader talked of the need for "political leadership" on these issues. Perhaps more experienced in the Westminster world herself, Ms Booth said a "political consensus" existed.

Was this a fair reflection of the commitment on show? Prisons minister Maria Eagle and her shadow counterpart, Edward Garnier, attended the report's launch. Their remarks were equally guarded, equally non-committal, demonstrating precisely the sort of equivocation not desired by Ms Booth and co.

Ms Eagle said the report was "very interesting". It would provoke "some lovely and ongoing discussions". Yes, minister. Her emphasis was especially telling. "We do have to have enough prison places for those people sent into custody," she said, at her most firmest. At least the commissioners can be encouraged she had made time in her "ridiculous diary" for the report launch.

Mr Garner was politer, but equally cautious. He said the report "makes some entirely worthwhile... recommendations".

"This is a document that should be open on every policymaker's desk, and not left on the shelf," he beamed. Take it or leave it.

Ms Booth, smiling courteously as they delivered their somewhat meaningless platitudes, knows that something must be done.

It must be the politicians who do it; there's only so much the wife of a former prime minister can do. But at least a radical solution is now on the table.

Comments21 - 30 of 236

yeah well I was put in a cell with big BUBA and he said I was going to be his puppy, I thought how nice. Later that night I had a dream where by big BUBA held me down and said hang tight boy I'm comming in dry.. I woke to find my ring piece was now split and twisted into a figure of eight. My I thought how on earth..oh the dream and what was that sticky stuff in my hair, face and mouth eeugghh

From rinkydinkydonut on Fri Jul 03 01:22PM
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While I have indeed not worked in the prison sector, I am more than happy to sling my support behind a re-introduction of harsher prisons. We, as a nation, currently lack any enforced discipline in the lives of our children.
Parents cannot smack children because children are adults, and this is assault.
Teachers cannot punish ill-behaved, screaming idiots in schools because children are adults and this is assault.
The police cannot charge children with crimes they commit because they are children and thus don’t know what they are doing.
Young offender’s institutes must have a basic level of human comforts to keep the offenders happy.
We are breeding generation after generation of kids that have no idea what discipline is anymore. Or responsibility. Or how to get on in society. Prison reforms? We need to bring back pillorying people, flogging and other deterrents to teach people that the laws must be respected. Right now what do we have? Short, comfortable stays in prison and vague finger-wagging.
As for the bankers that caused the current financial crisis, personally I believe they need to be tried for treason. You heard me correctly. They deliberately and systematically drained the economy until the whole edifice was tottering and about to collapse, then fled with whatever cash was left. They crippled the nation’s economy for their own gain. That sounds like deliberate treason to me.

From the_bishop_2k on Fri Jul 03 01:25PM
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WHO GAVE THSIS THIEVING WITCH THE JOB IN THE FIRST PLACE.....

From sophiecyprus on Fri Jul 03 01:26PM
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There can be no doubt that for many types of serious crime a 'life sentence', that's an actual whole life term, should be applied with the person never being released. Serious crime deserves a serious reaction on the part of society...however, what can't be allowed is any notion that the death sentence is a good thing because it never was, still isn't and never will be. Too many innocent people have lost their lives because of shoddy police work, weak defence lawyers and other such factors. We can be serious about crime without resorting to murdering people ourselves and anyone who advocates the death penalty should remember the names of some of our society's true murder victims, i.e., Timothy Evans, who were not murdered by some ruthless killer but by society itself.

From stan_and_kyle_2000 on Fri Jul 03 01:33PM
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23, bratman46: £60 a week!!! What the hell for? I have have been unemployed until recently for the last 6months due to redundancy and despite 20 years of working and paying my taxes, at first the DWP weren't even gong to pay me because "there were no records of NI contributions) I eventually got this resolved and was entitled to £60 a week with which to keep my car on the road and feed my family, I'm not a criminal and the taxes I pay fund my benfits if I am out of work, I earned them! I'm all for rehabilitation but prisoners seem to get many things whilst doing their bird that many of us law abiding citizens cannot afford, how I would love to buy extra food rather than living off the cheapest c rap I can afford and not have to choose between replacing those worn out shoes or buying food, al the while having a family to feed and clothe and a mortgage to pay! Prisons should be more austere and should punish criminals not give them an easy ride, christ I reckon that most of em prefer nick, as they haven't got theses perks on the outside unless they've robbed them!

From pcarsley74 on Fri Jul 03 01:38PM
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The death penalty didn’t work and would not work right now...unless we increase surveillance, introduce a DNA database and identity cards.
Now, no doubt a lot of people are already getting ready to scream about civil liberties, etc. But here is the thing. If we have ID cards, DNA databases, fingerprints, etc then that cuts down the chance of an innocent getting sentenced considerably. In order to get the death penalty, you would need means, motive, opportunity, to have touched or handled the murder weapon at some point, to have been present at the murder scene, to have no alibi, to not be on any security cameras around the time of the murder etc etc etc...in the end it boils down to you having been there and done it.
With current policing? That’ll never work. Clever defence, lack of any alibi checking beyond eye-witnesses and maybe one security camera per square mile and the like, an innocent could be killed. In order to make the system work we would have to be under closer scrutiny. Personally I’m fine with that. I’d go to my grave happily knowing that my murderer would be found, sentenced and executed for the crime.

From the_bishop_2k on Fri Jul 03 01:42PM
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cherie blair or booth or whatever the dumb tart calls herself should keep her mouth shut she is responsable for bringing in the human rights law, which as we now know only benifits criminals and those s@#$% bag foreigners that want us dead but whinge when we try to send them home that they will be killed, oh yes and of course cherie bliar booth also benifited from defending these swines we can empty the prisons by bringing back hanging, cherie can try it out first followed by tony the bliar and then the rest of those thieves in parliment

From dennisproct on Fri Jul 03 01:42PM
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bratman46 - The conditions inside the private sector prisons as you describe are no surprise to most of us!
An interesting thing you did mention "The loss of liberty is the punishment " leads me to some serious doubts!
.
You know as well as I do, that a form of camaraderie exists in these places (state prisons too), very often a repeat offender has NO FEAR of losing his liberty as the life inside is a viable alternative!! - In 'the outside world' they would need to get TV licenses, Council tax, endure huge dental waiting lists, etc.!!!!
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Free Gym membership, hmmm nice! - And you know as well, that drugs are just as available inside as they are outside, - Not really a deterrent, - is it????

From garenacreman on Fri Jul 03 01:51PM
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Crime figures down 43%???? Where on earth do these figures come from? Ms. Booth in her privileged position wouldn't have a clue if this figure was right or wrong. She's obviously learnt how to manipulte information from her husband. Ask any man in the street if they think crime is lower than any time since 1997 and you will be nearer the truth. I think the country had heard quite enough from the Blair Pair and if Cherie wants to regain any credibility she should give up law and start writing fairy tales. She might be good at that!

From rubberduckes on Fri Jul 03 01:56PM
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the_bishop_2k - You are having a laugh!

From garenacreman on Fri Jul 03 01:56PM
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