According to this article from the Times yesterday, it might be summertime but we are now in full election mode and the 'nasty' party are reverting to type with 'tough on crime' featuring as one of three key campaign messages:-
Boris Johnson to boost jails in law and order election pledge
Boris Johnson will unveil plans next week to increase the number of prison places in an effort to reclaim the Conservatives’ reputation as the party of law and order before a possible election.
The prime minister is expected to announce a renewed prison-building programme after concerns that previous plans to increase capacity by 10,000 places before 2020 have stalled. One of many expected moves on crime and justice, it will be seen as part of Mr Johnson’s efforts to prepare the Tories for a general election after Brexit.
Mr Johnson is expected to argue in a speech this week that overcrowded prisons in England and Wales are increasing violence and hampering efforts to rehabilitate offenders. Prosecutions for rape have fallen by a third in a year, to a record low, after rows about the disclosure of evidence.
Mr Johnson has already indicated that he will take a harder line than Theresa May’s government on crime and justice. Allies have said that he will scrap plans made by David Gauke, the former justice secretary, to abolish jail sentences of six months or less for all but the most serious criminals.
During the Tory leadership campaign Mr Johnson also committed to keeping serious sexual and violent offenders behind bars for longer, calling it wrong that they were routinely released after half of their sentence.
Britain’s prisons are operating at 97 per cent of capacity and there are fears that overcrowding is fuelling record violence. The number of assaults in prisons in the year to March, the most recent data available, reached 34,425, the highest recorded, and there were 10,311 assaults on staff.
The prison population is expected to grow from 83,007 at present to 86,400 by March 2023. In 2016 the Conservative Party announced plans to create 10,000 new “modern prison places” by the end of the decade. It subsequently planned six new prisons, of which only three have been approved. Construction work has begun on only one.
A government source told The Times: “Boris wants to put rocket boosters under the prison-building programme. He’s talking about a new mega-prison, he’s trying to release cash. Prisons are overcrowded. We need better facilities and a better environment where prisoners can do more purposeful activity. It’s all part of making prisons more purposeful.”
The Times has also been told that the Crown Prosecution Service will make an announcement about increasing the number of rape prosecutions, which have fallen to their lowest for more than five years. The number fell from 11,311 in 2017 to 7,594 last year despite a huge increase in recorded sex offences. Prosecutions for all offences have also hit a 50-year low despite rises in the crime rate.
The Home Office has announced a review of how rape cases are handled by police and prosecutors after warnings that victims’ privacy was being violated by intrusive disclosure practices.
Mr Johnson has promised to focus on three central themes in his domestic agenda: the NHS, crime and immigration. Several announcements on health were made last week, including measures to resolve the doctors’ pensions crisis and a £250 million investment in artificial intelligence for the NHS.
Labour is expected to table a confidence motion in Mr Johnson’s government when MPs return from recess in September in an attempt to stop a no-deal Brexit. Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, has written to Sir Mark Sedwill, head of the civil service, urging him to rule on whether Mr Johnson can force through a no-deal Brexit during a general election campaign.
If Mr Johnson loses a confidence vote and is forced into an early election, Downing Street is considering plans to schedule polling day after October 31 so that Britain will leave the EU regardless of the election outcome. In a letter to Sir Mark, Mr Corbyn said that this would be unprecedented and unconstitutional.
He said that the Cabinet Office’s purdah rules during elections made clear that policy decisions on which a new government “might be expected to want to take a different view” should be postponed until after polling day.
Which is an opportunity for Timpsons to recruit more staff:
ReplyDeleteName: Russell Zecanovsky
Age: 46
Income: £30,000-£35,000
Occupation: Area development manager, Timpson
I was a career criminal from a young age - I never really had a job. My friend and I set up a fake record label which concealed our income and tax. Instead I grew cannabis for many years. It felt easy, and although it’s quite time-consuming, the rewards are good. But we became greedy. We rented a five-bedroom house in Wimbledon and set up a million-pound grow room. If it had worked out, that would have been my pension. However, a garage next door to the house discovered we were growing weed after the person we’d employed to get rid of the waste became lazy: rather than dumping it in the river like he was supposed to, he left it in their bin. The garage called the police. I remember visiting the house and seeing big burly cops outside. That’s never a good sign. I drove straight home and gutted my house because I knew it wouldn’t be long until they came knocking. Unfortunately they found a partial fingerprint of mine on one of the timers inside the grow room. It was enough to convict me. I was sentenced to three years. Was that my first time in prison? No, I’d been in a couple of times before. One was a 16-year sentence. But I can’t talk about it.
Get Society Weekly: our newsletter for public service professionals
Read more
When I was inside my wife said: “This is the last time I’m putting up with this shit. You need to knock it on the head.” She was under immense pressure. I’d been the breadwinner and then she had to deal with all these bills and everyone emptying her bank account. She was forced to pawn her jewellery to make ends meet. At the time I was bored in prison and I came across an ad for Timpson in the prison wing, which promised a 16-week trial on release and, if successful, a full-time job. I started training at its in-prison centre - which is kind of like a big shop - five days a week for six months. At first I didn’t enjoy it. I never thought I’d be any good at working with my hands. But then I discovered I was. But full credit to the people running the academy - it was all down to their dedication and knowledge.
When I was released, I was hired as a trainee at the Wimbledon branch. That was 10 years ago now. Since then I’ve gained several promotions and now I’m area development manager. The progression is really good. All managers are hired from within the company.
My wife earns double what I do and is the saver. I spend money like water and have a low regard for it. Looking through my statements, it’s shocking to see how much I spend on buying breakfast and coffees. I drink five coffees a day - that’s a lot of money. Over a month, it’s a good £200 on coffees. That’s before the bacon rolls and sandwiches. I’m going to try to stop spending so much. My wife put my bank cards in the washing machine to stop the contactless part working to try to rein in my spending. I’m just used to always having money. When I came out of prison, we were getting rid of our old bed and, as we were taking it out, we found £1,000 in there. It had been there for five years. I had no concept of money - it was always just something that you got and then spent.
We are mortgage-free on our house in London. We have a place in Scotland we rent out which pays the mortgage. However, at the moment we don’t have any tenants, so I’m paying £700 a month on that. That leaves me with £2,000 a month spare. After bills, the rest of the money I earn is spent on luxuries. I might spend about £200 on a date night with my wife. She loves the theatre. I’m not a massive fan, but we’ve seen Phantom of the Opera 12 times. I don’t even like it but I know every word. I’ve just managed to score tickets to a Harry Potter play she’s been trying to see for the last three years.
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2019/jul/13/i-earn-less-than-i-did-growing-cannabis-but-i-have-peace-of-mind
How many probation staff can say "We are mortgage-free on our house in London. We have a place in Scotland we rent out which pays the mortgage. However, at the moment we don’t have any tenants, so I’m paying £700 a month on that. That leaves me with £2,000 a month spare."
Delete??????????????????????????????????????????????????
Assaults and incidents of self-harm in prisons in England and Wales have reached new highs, prompting fresh warnings that authorities are failing inmates.
ReplyDeleteThe number of self-harm incidents rose by 24% to 57,968 in the year to March, according to Ministry of Justice (MoJ) figures published on Thursday. Over the same period the number of assaults increased by 11% to 34,425.
Assaults on staff also jumped to record levels, up 15% to 10,311, and in the 12 months to June 2019 the number of suicides rose to 86, from 81 the previous year.
The quarterly figures continue a trend of rising levels of violence and self-harm in prisons, which the Inquest charity says has emerged despite added investment and scrutiny.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/jul/25/assault-self-harm-record-levels-jails-england-wales-prisons
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/816271/incentives-policy-framework.pdf
ReplyDelete1.Purpose1.1The system of privileges is a key tool for incentivising prisonersto abide by the rules and engage in the prison regimeand rehabilitation, including education, work and substance misuse interventions–whilstallowing privilegesto be takenaway from those who behave poorly or refuse to engage. This policy sets a commonframework with which local incentives policies must comply.2.Context2.1The Incentives PolicyFramework, together with other key policies, such as Adjudications,and for Young Offender Institutions (YOIs), the Building Bridges Policy Framework, allowsGovernorstoincentivise good behaviour and tackle poorbehaviour and breaches ofthe Prison Rulesand YOI Rules, helping prisoners to make the right choices to prepare them to lead crime-free lives when they leave prison.
The number of women in England and Wales recorded as homeless when they enter prison has nearly doubled since 2015, prompting calls to tackle the root causes of offending before turning to jail sentences.
ReplyDeleteThere were 3,262 women recorded as being of no fixed abode on arrival in custody across the nine custodial institutions that hold women in 2018, up 71% from 1,909 in 2015, Ministry of Justice data shows.
Bronzefield prison, a jail near Staines-upon-Thames run by the private firm Sodexo, saw a sharp increase in the period with inmates homeless on arrival trebling from 338 to 1,021.
The prison is categorised as a local jail, accepting prisoners direct from the courts.
Peterborough female prison, also run by Sodexo, saw the number of homeless inmates more than double in the period from 205 to 557.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/jul/03/number-female-prisoners-recorded-homeless-doubles-since-2015
Daily Hate has this:
ReplyDeleteBoris Johnson is considering plans to make criminals ‘earn’ their release from prison as he prepares to announce a crackdown on crime next week.
A major report written by a former policing minister proposes a raft of criminal justice reforms including more ‘honest’ sentencing and an end to automatic release from jail.
Instead, Tory MP Nick Herbert, chairman of the Project For Modern Democracy think-tank, suggests prisoners should only be let out if they behave themselves, stay drug free and try to mend their ways.
On sentencing, he says courts should introduce more ‘honesty’ in sentencing, with judges informing victims of the earliest possible release dates for offenders. He says longer jail terms should be targeted at the most prolific and dangerous criminals.
Instead of being released automatically at the half-way point – or even earlier in some cases – offenders should have to comply with prison rules and join rehabilitation programmes before they can get out.
The system of ‘earned release’ will, the report argues, help keep order in prison and encourage inmates to mend their ways.
Mr Herbert also proposes a new ‘semi-custodial’ sentence which could replace some short sentences.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7343093/Boris-Johnson-considers-making-criminals-earn-release-prison-good-behaviour.html
Ann Widdecombe - remember her?
ReplyDelete"Former Prisons Minister Ann Widdecombe says Boris Johnson's new Home Secretary Priti Patel was right to say criminals should "literally feel terror" at the thought of breaking the law."
Punishment isn't a solution to social problems, and it beats me why seeing more people being sent to prison can be seen as a success or even the way forward for CJ policy.
ReplyDeleteSurely the bigger the prison population, the bigger the failure by government?
'Getafix
The politicians are the biggest criminals and get away with it. No accountability for Grayling wasting billions of tax payers money let alone the misery he caused in the process.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/news/article-7344719/3bn-Government-contractor-45-000-UK-staff-sold-collapse.html
ReplyDeleteInterserve, a key contractor to the Government owned by its lenders since it collapsed in March, could be broken up and sold off.
DeleteCity sources said the owners of Interserve had asked longstanding corporate finance advisers at Lazard to sound out potential buyers for some or all of the £2.9 billion-a-year group with a view to beginning a formal sale process as early as next month.
Interserve has 45,000 UK staff and thousands of public and private sector contracts, including with hospitals, the police and military.
The company was listed on the London Stock Exchange, but fell into administration after racking up £735 million of debt. Lenders, including Royal Bank of Scotland, HSBC and hedge funds, agreed to write off its loans in return for ownership of the business.
One source said the ownership structure may limit Lazard’s options, adding: ‘Interserve now has quite a few different shareholders with different agendas, so it’s not clear what is going to happen.’
Interserve has three divisions: support services, equipment services including RMD Kwikform and construction.
On Friday, reports suggested Interserve had asked some of its owners to provide more debt financing for RMD Kwikform in return for a bigger shareholding in the division. It is considered the best performing unit.
Interserve makes two-thirds of its turnover from Government contracts, including hospital cleaning, school meals, maintaining military bases abroad and running probation services.
One of the most recent deals secured was part of a £600 million, two-year contract for discharging patients from hospitals.
Interserve was one of 16 suppliers named on the contract, which involves moving patients from acute care into care homes or back to their own homes.
Other key wins were a £66.7 million contract with the Crown Commercial Service – the Government’s procurement agency – in July last year. The outsourcer also secured a £31.4 million contract in January last year to supply equipment and engineering services to London’s Metropolitan Police until 2028.
The Government will take a keen interest in any break-up to ensure vital services are not disrupted.
A spokesman for Interserve said: ‘We do not comment on speculation. Our relationship with Lazard is not new. It has been an adviser to our shareholders for some time. We remain focused on being a strong partner to customers, delivering the best service possible.’
Boris announces his prison building and refurbishment programme.
DeleteBoth Kier (close to administration) and Interserve have been involved with the Glen Pava and Wellingborough build. Dosen't bode well me thinks.
But his idea to end automatic release at the halfway mark must surely pose questions about supervision after release and how long any particular person can be subject supervision?
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/10-000-extra-prison-places-to-keep-the-public-safe
'Getafix
Its about time the criminals in society got harsher punishments. I am sick of the snowflake brigade wailing and bleating over getting tough on crime.
ReplyDeleteYes the issue of socio-economic crisis is there, but manners and values from children to adults has disappeared in our hardened criminals. The current state of the law is too weak encouraging criminal mentality to flourish. Prison needs to be a deterrent not a playground run by the prisoners. Bring in our veterans to make up staffing numbers, who are highly trained and not scared of managing this type of client.
I appear to have come to the Daily Mail comments section....
DeleteTotally agree with 15.30 and the article in the Mail on Sunday.
ReplyDeleteCJS needs a overhaul and review, and only then, victims of crime might feel supported rather than abandoned. Public confidence may just improve in the hard work that we do.