Sense and sentencing
Marcel Berlins writes in Writ Large
It is no longer a matter of debate that sentencing policy is in a mess. The proliferation of ill-thought-out laws on sentencing since Labour took power has resulted in mass confusion and disenchantment among all connected with the criminal justice system of England and Wales. The general public looks on, dissatisfied. Laws have been passed which are incomprehensible to the judges that are supposed to implement them; some sentencing laws have been belatedly discovered to be incompatible with others. The courts have passed sentences which have overcrowded our prisons, so, topsy-turvily, a law had to be passed to allow prisoners to be released before their release date.
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.
Typical! All the lawyers in NuLabor's governments and we end up with a right old mess in legislation/sentencing.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately NuLabor has been more tabloid in it's legislative programme than practical.
It is such a tangled mess I don't think we are ever going to see the repeal of all NuLabor's legal cock-ups!