LibDems lurch to the Right of the Tories in demand that prisoners pay tax
BTW, Cherie Blair supports prisoners to get the minimum wage
I don't know how I missed this story on Sunday, but here it is belatedly.
"CHERIE BLAIR, wife of the former prime minister, is leading a drive for prisoners to earn up to £10,000 a year doing work in jail for firms which are household names".
"Nick Herbert, the shadow justice secretary, said: “As long as proper deductions are being made I see no reason why they should not be allowed to earn a proper wage as part of a process of rehabilitating them...”".
And, rather disturbingly, the LibDems lurching to the Far Right, somewhere midway between the Tories and the BNP, "David Heath, the Liberal Democrat justice spokesman, said: “Convicts should be made to give a good proportion of their wages to the victims of crime”". This has echoes of Anne Widdecombe...
So, David Heath is proposing a victim tax upon prisoners? The term convicts is so last century. Has he not heard of "No taxation without representation"? When all convicted prisoners are giving their human right to vote, give me a call and we will discuss the issue. But, I'm warning you now, prisoners are sent to prison as a punishment which is the sentence of the court. By serving the sentence, prisoners are already paying the price demanded by society at large. Surely, you must be aware that punishing twice for the one offence is unlawful and a breach of human rights?
A mixture of law, politics, autobiography and humour. Once described as "The Devilish Advocate" (Guardian), I do have the ability to provoke a response. Sometimes it comes from someone who uses a thought process, and sometimes from jerks usually associated with the knee.
"Surely, you must be aware that punishing twice for the one offence is unlawful and a breach of human rights?"
ReplyDeleteAIUI compensation orders can be made in addition to any other sentence and I'm not aware that's been held as incompatible with Human Rights legislation.
There doesn't seem to me to be any fundamental difference between giving someone a community punishment which allows them to carry on working and additionally requiring them to make compensation payments and imprisoning them, allowing them to work at a proper wage and requiring them to make compensation payments.
In any case the issues of compensation and punishment are different as ultimately there can be a civil action for damages for the harm caused by a criminal act.