The declaration by Ken Clarke that prisons are not particularly effective institutions has lobbed a grenade into the wasps' nest that comprises the tabloid commentators.
That's always a good thing. And watching those filled with hate twisting and turning to find some rational basis on which to build their bile is always entertaining.
One strand that I have detected amongst these big mouths is the idea that prisons are just too damn soft. Ergo, if prisons had harsh regimes, crime would be deterred. Simples...
That history reveals the effects of harsh regimes passes these idiots by. With the resources of the Net and their newspaper at their fingertips, they manage to avoid learning a single fact that may mar the pristine beauty of their prejudices. Wilful ignorance is the worst sort.
Harsh regimes have been tried. A lot. Not just in Britain but across the world. Endless number-crunching from these experiences reveals that there is no particular connection between harsh prison regimes and crime rates.
Sorry. Looks as if we are going to expend just a bit more mental effort to crack this problem.
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And then his sodding boss goes and spews his opinion that Raoul Moat doesn't deserve sympathy all over the airwaves. He should read your post on compassion and mercy, it might teach him a thing of two. I have never found Cameron more abhorrent than this morning reading that story. Yet, I can still feel compassion, even for him...
ReplyDeleteCompassion for David Cameron? Sympathy maybe, for a man who is so blinded by the corrupting influence of wealth and power that he feels nothing for the ordinary man, woman and child of this world, only contempt.
ReplyDeleteI hope he will soon learn that what goes around comes around and that there will be no mercy for the merciless in this time.
Raoul Mote reminded me of a woman i met in prison, she is still there now, after 20 years or so. She said she loved animals, but would never go to prison for them. (like i did) Well, i love (some) men, but would never go to jail for one. She had killed her husband, and the mistress. She (like mr moat) would rather be in jail, or dead, than just walk away form someone who doesn't want to be with you. I do understand the pain, but you get over everyone eventualy, and later on, someone better always comes along.
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