David Blunkett is a reformed man after a shock behind bars
Labour's toughest Home Secretary seems to have gone tender. The man who once wanted to ban hoodies now wants to hug them.
David Blunkett spent ten days behind bars with young offenders for a reality TV show and emerged believing that society needs to be tough with them, but also understanding.
He said: “I talked to them a lot, I learnt about grime - a form of music culture - we had art therapy and woodwork. Their problems were all about peer pressure and breakdown of the family. Often people just got into the wrong set.”
The show was set in a specially refurbished prison in Scarborough. The 17-year-olds had all been in trouble, for drugs, assault or theft, but had never been in jail. In with them were prison warders, former convicts and criminologists.
What a relief I still don't have a Ch5 TV ariel!
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.
2 comments:
I watched the first half of it, it was pathetic they let one lad out on his first night in because he couldn't handle it, I'm sure they would do that at any normal reception nick.
As for Blunkett being involved, I think his guide dog was hanging it's head in shame at the end of the bit I managed to watch.
By the way I can recommend The Lost Boy by Duncan Staff as a good read.
I'm watching the show with interest, mainly because one of the people involved is a friend of my significant other.
To be honest I think the program is a "soft" option. The show is nothing like a real prison environment [walking out after freaking and not being able to stick not drinking] and as such, should really only be treated as "entertainment" rather than any assistance to the "troubled" youths.
My youngest son [16] hit the nail on the head when he voiced his disgust about the "sentence" being ten days. Why such a short time? What can possibly be accomplished in ten days?
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