What Price a Discount?

Much as I admire the eloquence of Inspector Gadjet, recognise much of the malaise that he describes and have sympathy for the situation that the police find themselves in, he really does annoy me sometimes. There's no point in pretending he doesn't and I'm sure he chuckles at causing liberal-thinkers to see red, but it's the sheer nonsense he comes out with sometimes that gets me. Take this for instance recently:-

"Even if the Courts in this country were not the softest most accommodating and gullible in the developed world (which they are)........."

Admittedly this was in the context of discussing domestic violence and the recent tragic double murder in Essex, but he regularly has a pop at the Courts and plays that popular right-wing tabloid press game of ridiculing sentencing decisions without full knowledge of the case. If we have the 'softest most accommodating and gullible courts in the developed world' how come we have the largest prison population per capita of virtually any European or developed country? 

Of course America imprisons far more people, but even over there they are urgently trying to dig themselves out of the vast hole that a policy of mass incarceration has created. It not only costs a fortune, but very little if any rehabilitation is undertaken in prison. I think I read somewhere that 500,000 inmates are due for release annually over coming years and re-offending rates show, as over here, that prison doesn't work. 

Although the assertions of the Police Inspector are sometimes nonsense, it plays well in certain quarters and especially amongst the back benches of the Conservative Party. As expected, partly due to Ken Clarkes recent bout of failing to choose his words carefully, it looks like his mostly well-thought out sentencing and rehabilitation plans could be scuppered because the Prime Minister is getting ear ache from the right-wingers in his party. 

I've never been sure about the policy of increasing the discount for guilty pleas to 50% from 33%, but I do know that if this aspect is dropped, the lions share of intended savings in the Ministry of Justice budget will evaporate. If that happens, where on earth might alternative savings be made? I think Mr Cameron might just decide to face down the right-wingers, have the courage of his convictions and take sentencing policy out of the political arms race where it's been lodged for far too long.