Thursday, November 18, 2010

Got a Spare £120 Grand?

Alec has been a sporadic visitor my cell, hoping that I could shed some light on his tangled position. It's a complicate tale that spans several years.

The prison - or the trainee psychologists who rule these days -wanted him to do a Treatment Needs Analysis. This is an examination of what further "offending behaviour work" he may be required to undertake in order to progress.

This has rumbled on for three years. They have now, suddenly, decided that Alec doesn't need to do this after all. That's three years of his life and £120,000 of your money wasted.

As well as illustrating the sheer waste of human life that is imprisonment, this tale also highlights an equally important point. That no one - no one! - in the Prison Service ever takes responsibility for their decisions. Ever. And if they are wrong and waste our lives and your money, they are never held to account. They treat us all - you as well as us - with contempt.

12 comments:

  1. I think you will find that the majority of taxpayers are happy to fund the prisons....

    As for him locked up for 3 extra years, who cares?

    Although if we did have the death sentence it is a lot cheaper than locking people up

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  2. lol, is that it?! The best trolling you can deliver? Oh dear...

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  3. @ ferrit nastysnatch......A perfect example of the narrow minded bigotry that has allowed our criminal "justice" system to ride roughshod over human rights. I expect you enjoy yours?

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  4. @ ferrit nastysnatch is that you Sgt Andrews???

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  5. I suspect the money to fund the course has been taken away. No one can say courses prisoners need are no longer available, nor can they admit that the course was never necessary in the first place so, of course, a large number of inmates will suddenly find themselves miraculously better...

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  6. well i believe the courses are supposed to be benificial when connected with any likely future parole - seemingly this is the likely underlying problem that will affect this prisoners future prospects
    ;(
    good luck guys its a jungle out here never mind in there

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  7. I have worked for many years with severley traumatised and abused children in residential therapeutic settings. These kids are at the end of the line, failed placements galore in their history. I have just left the profession as am completely disillusioned as to what effect this service has had in a positive manner for a number of kids as a result of the massive well known childrens charity that is poorly managing the provision. £198,000 a year will supposedly provide a child with 24 hour care, personal psycho therapyt, art therapy, integrated education, a care team that are trianed, supervised and effecive in the provision of a psycho dynamic environment. In reality what they get is a (Ofsted reported) patchy education by teachers who are failing/disinterested, 1 child out of 11 has access to 1 therapist for an hour a week and this is by no means integrated to the service. Teams are staffed by agency workers who dont know the kids as a result physical restraint becomes the tool for behaviour management. Only 3 weeks ago 'Celebrities' were fundraising for thies well to do charity for this very same project. Bullying and harrassment is rife amongst the staff, pay offs to avoid public tribunal are a plenty, discuplianry matters ignored. Where will these failed kids end up? Serving in a british prison, costing tax payers a fortune, being subjected to the same costly reviews as sighted by Prisoner Ben and labelled as anti-social beings that are the problem, not a product of the system that's nurtured them. And so it goes on.....
    I hope you all gave generously to Children in Need - this is how the money is spent!

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  8. Anon #5,

    Obviously, I don't know which well known children's charity you are referring to, but there aren't many so I have my suspicions. Especially because I have also had direct experience of unbelievable levels of bullying and incompetence in a well known children's charity, so I wouldn't be at all surprised to find it is the same one.

    I'd suggest someone do an expose If it weren't for the fact that the chairman is friends with Andy Coulson. Perhaps if he falls someone will?

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  9. would this be the childrens charity headed by the man who used to be the head of the prison service...?

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  10. No it is not but of a similar profile, I am sure it will not be long before enough people are effected by this organisation to take some action, there's plenty of fodder for the media without too much digging but I don't think the general public want to believe that these large children's charities are anything less than squeaky clean, so therefore it doesn't sell newspapers. What's even sadder is the director is a woman. Re-branding regularly should trigger a few concerns with people. Someone should be asking where the local authorities are spending their money and what quality of care is being provided for the £198,000 per child. Even the most damaged child would do well at Eton with a personal therapist and still have some money left for some respite foster care for the odd school holiday with that kind of budget!!

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  11. @ ferrit,

    You would be wrong in your opinion that the death penalty is cheaper. You only have to look to Texas, USA which puts more prisoners to death than any other US state. Average cost of a 40 yr life sentence = $640,000. Average cost of an execution = $2 million.

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  12. Yes the children 'in care' in this country are being cruelly let down, it is time interested people spoke up for these vulnerable young people that are so often demonised and hurt firstly often by parents, then the system, then locked up for everyone's convenience. I speak also from the experience of working in a care home, but caring members of staff had to fight against a desperately inadequate system, and the word 'love' is taboo in social work circles for fear that it be misconstrued, although real, unconditional love is what the young people craved most of all. It is nothing short of scandalous if children's charities are continuiung this state of affairs, whilst being funded by well-meaning, caring but naive people. I think it is time for us to take a stand, study annual accounts, query how money is spent and what outcomes are being achieved for our vulnerable children and young people.

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