Why does it take an imminent General Election for something like this to happen ?

Is it any wonder that people so distrust central government and the whole circus of Westminster politics when decisions that seem obvious to everyone else suddenly happen with a General Election just weeks away.

The government today announced that the early release of prisoners would cease in the next few weeks, many would argue this is a cynical policy just to appeal to voters in time for the general election campaign.

No wonder so many people have lost patience with this government.

Ronnie Biggs - A personal tragedy for his family but justice is being done

The ongoing media fuss over Ronnie Biggs being in intensive care in Norwich is certainly filling some news gaps locally and nationally in what is usually referred to as the silly season, but it does serve to highlight that elements of our justice system do work.

Firstly, I have every sympathy with his family who must be going through a very difficult time at the moment. I can understand why they are arguing so strenuously for his release, but sadly i completely disagree with them.

Biggs family argue that as an elderly ill man he represents no risk of re offending and should be released on this basis. Presumably Saddam Hussein was in no position to re offend when removed from power in Iraq when he was deposed too ? This argument hold no water given Biggs circumstances. The reason he is in no position to reoffend is because in those years when he might have been able and active, he chose to live out of reach of british justice in Brazil, sticking two fingers up to the UK, rubbing out noses in his freedom when he should have been serving his punishment for his crime.

If Biggs had served his prison sentence if he had shown any kind of open remorse for his crimes rather than simply feeling sorry for himself, he would be free now.

As it is Biggs only chose to return to this country in order to receive free health care when his health had deteriorated. In many ways this makes his hiding from justice worse. He didn't want to respect our laws when hiding in Brazil, but wants to make full use of his rights to claim NHS care. He wants all the rights with none of the responsibilities.

So whilst I extend my sympathies and understanding to his family and his son, who has spoken up well on his fathers behalf, I have to agree with the judgement Jack Straw made a few months ago that Biggs should remain in prison serving the sentence he was given all those years ago.

Would you feel safe living near this place ?

A mental institution in London that holds serious violent and sexual offenders has had yet another escape.

This report makes it clear that this is not the first recent escape. Would you feel safe living nearby ? Who is in charge of the security at this place ?

Put simply, why on earth is this allowed to happen over and over again ?

Sack the idiot who thought that letting terrorists out of prison early was a good idea

The early release scheme, whereby the government lets prisoners out of prison early in order to free up more places for prisoners (who will themselves presumably be let out early), is supposed to let people out who do not pose a major risk to society.

So presumably, according to Labour, people convicted of terrorist offences do not pose a risk to society ?

You would expect the government will now end calls for keeping suspect in prison for longer as it is utter hypocrisy to want to lock up terrorist suspects for longer but will then let out convicted terrorists early.

The law and order contradiction which makes no sense

In the wake of the two big murder trials that resulted in gulty verdicts this week, the police have called for an extension to the DNA database so that it covers every single adult in the UK. They say this would lead to an increased in detection rates and more people being locked up in prisin.

Ironically, this is said by the police on the same day as the government have announced again that the prisons are full and that judges and magistrates are being encourage to give out "community" sentences rather than send criminals to prison.

Does this seem slightly contradictory ?

I know that the two murder cases in the news would always result in a prison sentence, but police are arguing that DNA is left at the scene of many crimes, and this will also aid the detection and solving of minor crimes too. However, it is these "minor" crimes that the police routinely don't bother to investigate and it is these minor crimes that criminals are likely to receive a minor slap on the wrist community sentence for rather than a proper prison sentence.

Who says the police and the Labour government lack a sense of irony.

Time to actually build a fence ?

Four prisoners have absconded from Sudbury Open Prison in the last four days. Okay, they are entitle to a bad run. However, official figures show that more than 660 inmates have walked out of Sudbury in the past 10 years. That's an average of 66 a year, or more than one a week.

I'm not in the "hang'em and flog'em" brigade, but to lose more than one prisoner a week suggests either that the criteria for choosing who goes to an open prison is wrong or their is not enough security.

I accept the need for what an open prison offers, but surely a fence or some locks might be a good idea ?

Prisoners locked up for six months extra because prison service cannot get documents sorted

It's little wonder we have a prison overcrowding crisis when you consider what Radio Five Live were covering early.

In Norwich prison, a Jamaican national who has been serving a sentence for drugs offences, should have been released and deported on August 3rd, but has stayed in prison for the last six months because the prison service have not got his birth certificate so they can deport him.

It turns out that one of the board of visitors, a lay person who monitors the prison, when he heard about this, managed to get the birth certificate himself by making two phone calls, and the whole process took two days.

He explained on the radio that he believes that this also applies to 10 other prisoners in Norwich prison, and if you multiply that by the 160 prisons in the UK, that could mean more than 1500 people are taking prison places up that could be filled by real criminals, the same real criminal that are currently running free, thanks to Home office advice to judges.

When you also consider how much it costs to keep someone in prison for a week, this is another chocking display of Home Office incompetence.

Obsessed with statistics, but not the obvious ones

The BBC reports that the head of the Prison Service, Phil Wheatly, does not know how many prisoners have absconded from Open Prisons. Read it HERE.

So what is he admitting to ? Basically, it is an admission that the government do not know how many people are on the run, how many should be in prison, how many actually are in prison, or indeed, their arse from their elbow !

This government has an obsession with statistics. School league tables, NHS targets, even baby names, yet when it comes to a basic requirement of government, to ensure that those sent to prison for committing crimes are actually serving their sentences, this government does not know the answer.

For a government obsessed with labeling its opposition, both Lib Dem and Tory, as being soft on crime, the government ought to be looking at itself much more and asking "Are we up to the job ?"

What ever sort of message does this send to kids ?

"So its alright to take drugs because if the government stops you, they'll have to pay you some money in compensation, right ?"

What does a drugs education teacher say to a pupil who asks that today ? What message does this send out ?

The news, widely reported, that the government have settles out of court to drug users who were denied drugs when imprisioned, is appalling.

It's a crazy system that allows drugs users to demand drugs, illegal drugs, that the government have to supply, or the government can be sued.

Rather that wasting time, money and effort trying to change race hate laws again in order to obtain a party politically motivated conviction of Nick Griffin, how about a revision of the laws that alllows people in these circumstances to get hold of some of my hard earned taxes that I have paid to the government.

What ever sort of message does this send to kids wondering whether to take drugs or not ?