Immigrant Detector card scheme

Immigrant Detector card scheme

"Ministers argue that the cards will prevent illegal immigration and employment because border officials and employers will be able to check what a migrant is entitled to".

In South Africa the system of apartheid was an extension of Nazi racial method and Jacqui Smith's ID card scheme is an extension of apartheid.

Prison treats over 18 as kids and under 18 as adults

Prison treats over 18 as kids and under 18 as adults

The issue here is not whether prisoners should be allowed playstations. Rather, there are two side issues. The first relates to the issue of Prison Service Instruction 32/08. It advises prison governors that only those prisoners who are at enhanced level may have playstations and console games. However, even though these prisoners are 18 years old or above, they are not permitted to have 18+ rated games. This restriction in my view is unlawful because it goes beyond the no more restriction than is necessary for safe custody. Oddly, the Prison Service whilst being over protective of those prisoners within the adult penal estate, appears to fall short in catering for those under 18 in the Young Offender Institutions. There is no restriction on under 18s from being permitted to have 18+ rated games. This is obviously an absurd situation.

The second issue is classifying prisoners into 3 levels; Basic; Standard and Enhanced. It has all the hallmarks of lower, middle and upper class. Was it Maggie Thatcher who said we now live in a classless society? In any event, it is one thing to encourage good behaviour in prisoners and reward them accordingly, and quite another to divide and rule in this manner.

Dutch cannabis smoker fined - for using tobacco

Dutch cannabis smoker fined - for using tobacco

A man was fined by the Dutch police for smoking a cannabis joint but only because it was mixed with tobacco.

While the Netherlands has kept its liberal policy on the smoking of cannabis in the country's legendary "coffee shops", zero tolerance is now shown to tobacco smokers in Dutch cafes and restaurants after a smoking came ban came into force last July.

An Amsterdam police spokesman admitted that it could be difficult to understand the current Dutch policy of allowing smokers to puff away on pure cannabis while fining tobacco users.

"For logic it is sometimes impossible to explain, even to the Dutch," he said.

"The man was not fined for smoking a cannabis joint but for smoking. You can smoke cannabis but not tobacco in coffee shops."

The unnamed 27-year-old man owns one of the city's coffee shops, where the purchase and smoking of cannabis is tolerated, and he is expected to contest the case in court.

It will be the first test of a Dutch smoking ban that exempts people from enjoying joints as long as only pure marijuana is used.

The man was caught lighting a hand rolled cannabis joint during a routine police check and fined because officers found tobacco mixed with the soft drug.

The smoking ban is usually enforced by municipal health and safety inspectors "but if a police officer signals an infringement, he does not close his eyes to it," said the police spokesman.

A fifth of Dutch cafes and bars are ignoring the tobacco smoking ban, which was introduced on July 1. Many are setting up special funds to collect money to pay fines issued to smokers.

On reflection

On reflection

A white tiger relaxes in water at the zoological park in Hyderabad, India
Picture: AP

Burma activist freed from jail after 19 years vows to fight on

Burma activist freed from jail after 19 years vows to fight on

One of Burma's most prominent political detainees, U Win Tin, was freed from jail yesterday after 19 years' imprisonment, and vowed to continue the fight for democracy in the country.

The ailing journalist, one of Burma's longest-serving political detainees, was one of the founders of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD).

All they need to do now is release the other 99% of political prisoners...

White Rabbit tries to poison kiddies

White Rabbit tries to poison kiddies


I am not sure that Andrew Keogh, White Rabbit, should be moonlighting as a sweet manufacturer. It would appear that this venture makes the Pied Piper of Hamlyn look like a saint. The man is a scoundrel, a cad, a bounder etc, etc...

Dog spared death sentence as owner at fault

Dog spared death sentence as owner at fault

A dog has had its death sentence lifted after a judge ruled that its attacks on two people were the fault of its owner.

Judge Mark Horton said he was satisfied that Lilly, a Labrador collie cross, was not dangerous and that she has the potential to "provide both joy and entertainment to any future owner for years to come."

Nineteen-month-old Lilly's bad behaviour had been due to the failure of its owner, Richard Cooke, 62, to "look after, to train or to deal sufficiently" with the animal, the judge ruled at an appeal hearing.

Mr Cooke, of Dursley, Glos, had admitted failing to control the dog and magistrates had banned him from keeping dogs for life and ordered the animal's destruction.

Since the order was made in July after the dog bit a woman, the animal has been kept on "death row" in the Teckels Kennels at Whitminster, Glos, awaiting her fate.

Prison by numbers

Prison by numbers

This year's prison population projections are the first sign that the relentless rise in the prison population is slowing

New prison population projections, published by the Ministry of Justice but quality-assured by the UK Statistics Authority, estimate that by June 2015 between 83,400 and 95,800 people will be in prison in England and Wales.

If nothing else, these figures show just how imprecise a science predicting the prison population is. If their lowest estimate is correct, the prison population will be no higher in seven years than it is now. If their highest prediction proves to be accurate, more that 12,000 additional prison places will need to be found. This explains, to some extent, how difficult it is for any government to accurately predict how many prison places will be needed, and to build capacity accordingly.

Malaysian blogger jailed for 2 years

Malaysian blogger jailed for 2 years

"Malaysia jailed a prominent anti-government blogger for two years under a strict security law that can keep him in prison indefinitely for allegedly inciting racial tensions with his writings, a lawyer said today.

Online commentator Raja Petra Raja Kamarudin was already in police custody and was served a detention order last night under the Internal Security Act, said his lawyer Malik Imtiaz Sarwar.

"He was taken this morning to Kamunting (Detention Center)," Malik said. "This is definitely a big blow to the idea of civil liberties, especially in a climate when everybody is asking for greater rights."

The order was signed by Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar, who has said Raja Petra's writings on Islam pose a threat to national security by creating racial tension.

The minister has the final word on how long a person stays in jail under the act, and courts can only review the procedure of the detention but not the detention itself"...

Palin charges rape victims $1,200

Palin charges rape victims $1,200

"Alaska routinely has the highest rate of sexual assault in the United States, two and a half times the national average". Sarah Palin set about reducing the amount of reported sexual assaults. Make the victim pay $1,200 for the rape examination kits used to determine whether the victim has been raped...

Talk about adding insult to injury.

In praise of ... votes for prisoners

In praise of ... votes for prisoners

Dostoevsky wrote that "the degree of civilisation in a society can be judged by entering its prisons". If that is right, British civilisation is none too healthy just now. Record numbers of inmates are crammed into the jails. The difficulties of sardine-tin rehabilitation are exacerbated by a doggedly vengeful refusal to reward convicts who mend their ways or show regard for others. Last spring Gordon Brown vetoed an overdue rise in the meagre pay prisoners can earn by spending time productively. This month a tabloid scare story led to certain social events being banned. But the most gratuitous stricture of all predates any red-top campaign. In a report last week a UN committee warned that the voting ban in prisons may be at odds with the international covenant on civil and political rights. The ban dates back to a musty statute from 1870 - a time when the franchise was a privilege, reserved for a minority. Today the vote is everywhere considered a right - except within jail walls. No one believes disfranchisement is a deterrent; nor does it make sense as a punishment: the purpose of prison is to deprive people of their liberty, not their political voice. Sheer lack of thought meant that - until Strasbourg intervened - the ban often effectively applied to remanded prisoners, not convicted of any crime. If inmates were encouraged to take an interest in society, then perhaps fewer than two-thirds would reoffend on release. As it stands, in more than one sense, they are barred citizens. It is time to give them the vote.

I second the above proposal...

Number of children locked up 'rises fivefold'

Number of children locked up 'rises fivefold'

The number of children locked up by the courts in England and Wales has increased fivefold in a decade, the charity Barnardo's said today.

Barnardo's said the use of custody for 10 to 14-year-olds rose by 550% from 1996 to 2006 and had led to children "being written off" by the age of 12.

The charity's chief executive, Martin Narey, a former director general of the Prison Service, said detaining so many youngsters was "inexplicable" and "unjustifiable".

Barnardo's said it recognised that custodial terms were needed for "grave" or "serious" crimes but added only 7% of sentences for 10-14-year-olds last year were for such offences.

More than £27 million could be saved per year if custodial terms were only reserved for the most serious offences, the charity claimed.

According to the charity, the cost of custody could be as much as £185,780 to accommodate a young person for one year - the equivalent of six years' schooling at Eton College.

Murder probe over prisoner death

Murder probe over prisoner death

A murder investigation has been opened after the death of an inmate at a jail in Greater Manchester.

Ryan Beaver, from Stockport, suffered serious injuries in the assault at Forest Bank Prison in Salford on Friday morning and died in hospital.

Prison guards at the privately-run jail discovered the 35-year-old unconscious just after 0900 BST and called police.

Two male inmates, aged 20 and 27, have been arrested on suspicion of murder and are in in custody for questioning.

They were originally arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

Forest Bank Prison is a category B prison which was opened in 2000.

It is run by Kalyx Ltd, formerly known as the UK Detention Service.

Cameron to sell helmet to make ends meet

Cameron to sell helmet to make ends meet

Life is tough at the top in this economic climate, that even David Cameron is forced to sell his old cycle helmet at a car boot sale to make ends meet. As I recall, Cameron's bike and helmet are no strangers to car boots. At least I assume that is what happened when his ministerial car followed behind with his suit etc and he did a quick change for a day at the office.

Vaz urged to quit key Commons job

Vaz urged to quit key Commons job

Labour MP under renewed pressure over 'failure' to declare link with solicitor facing court costs

One committee member said that he should step down until he has cleared his name. 'The allegations against Keith are so serious that he is in effect casting a shadow over the committee as a whole. It can't go on.'

Tory frontbencher Chris Grayling said: 'If he has broken the rules, his position as chairman will be pretty much untenable.'

Fairness is still our guide

Fairness is still our guide

Only New Labour can help businesses and families through this economic turbulence

It is only a Labour government that is able to act now to tackle the instability in the economy and provide the security that businesses and families need. This is a new agenda for an active government that stands for fairness first.

I think this is a well written piece from Gordon Brown or one of his speech writers or spin doctors.

However, if we are going to talk about fairness. Let's implement the ECtHR decision in Hirst v UK (No2), which decided that disenfranchisement of convicted prisoners breached their human rights. Notice I said implement and not just talk about it in some phoney public consultation exercise, followed by another proposed phoney public consultation exercise.

Down and out in London (part 2)

Down and out in London (part 2)



A refugee from the fallout of the London Mayoral Election with a message for George Galloway?

Jailbirds creating eco-havens in prison

Jailbirds creating eco-havens in prison

Inmates are becoming conservationists as they use their time behind bars to help protect vital natural habitats that are home to rare species

Thousands of prisoners across the country are turning their jails into some of the most species-rich sites in the country and a newly found interest in conservation is aiding their rehabilitation. The country's 140 prisons include nine internationally recognised sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs) as well as two European special areas for conservation and an internationally important wetland.

Some of the important habitats are on land that is outside the prison walls, but in many cases threatened species such as barn owls, kingfishers, adders and slow-worms also reside at Her Majesty's pleasure within prison grounds.

Pinch of salt dear?

Pinch of salt dear?

Happy birthday to Charles "Big Ears" Clarke who is 100 today.

I was tickled to see Peter Mandelson on top of Sunny Hundal.





I thought all of this was serious until I discovered that Iain Dale was behind it.

Norfolk goes bonkers over conkers

Norfolk goes bonkers over conkers

This has to be the joke of the week...

"No more chestnut trees lining the streets of Norwich, in case the conkers fall on your head - as if that would make a difference, in Norfolk."