The definition of madness is doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome so there has to be reform to the prison system otherwise it will simply not be safe whether the Daily Fail agrees or not is and should always be utterly irrelevant. Starmer has appointed actual experts in this subject one of which is a HR Hero of mine the now Sir Timpson and he needs to stand by his convictions on this. Whisper it indeed but I hope now that Starmer has his seat in power he will not be cowed down by anyone on his mission to fix broken Britain, he's started down this journey so he must see it through to the end. There are those who have a real hard on for punishment and want to belittle prisoners and shut down their worth, it's highly linked to the war on drugs bullshit as well. Both are proven not to work and the viscious cycle of crime and mental health has to be broken. In a former role I experienced first hand what happens when this cycle breaks and how it benefits us all, Sir Timpson knows it too so Starmer needs to let his fantastic appointees get on with the job in the hand and fuck the daily mail and any right wing idiot who doesn't understand it
These two pieces are why I subscribe to Ian’s writing. Good journalism with a judicious mix of reason and love for humanity (even when not made explicit) can bring as much joy as the work of someone who is as dedicated to their craft as Jiro is to sushi (🎶if you knew sushi, like I knew sushi 🎵)
Excellent article. We all know what the Daily Mail is and what it is about.
Daily Mail readers might like to know that without extending the changes made to account for some early release - often by as little as 70 days - the backlog of cases in police cells and the Courts cannot be tackled and the frankly terrible conditions in many prisons which house far too many people that should not be there is a national scandal.
You right, Ian, that key Ministerial appointments have been made and I agree. However, money will need to be found. The policy only kicks the can down the road by months not years.
I wish we could invest in a greater number of GPS tags to curfew people at home between set hours. It would be a darn sight cheaper, and better policy, than spending £50k pa to 'house' someone in a state I would not keep animals - and there are prison staff to consider too.
Jiro is a great doc, but I felt for his eldest son who is essentially told he must carry on the work or be disowned, whilst Jiro’s customers all say “he’ll never reach the same level as his dad”. Pretty horrible position to be put in.
I’ve seen the state of prisons come up on the news on tv and it looks like utter hell for anyone to be in. Including prison officers. They’re dangerously understaffed because of austerity cuts and I keep hearing about a drug called Spice. Tonight I heard on the news that there are rats and bedbugs in them. That there are no places left too. So it bothers me. That this is allowed to happen. It’s one thing not caring about criminals but it’s quite another to force human beings to live like this. It’s like our country’s hit rock bottom and then you lift it up and find another layer of hell. Not to mention the impact on society. I mean most prisoners aren’t in for life. I can’t imagine what state they’re in when they get out.
🎯🎯🎯 negligent policy for 14 years has inevitably lead to this point - early release had been happening for quite some time due to chronic over crowding - the current govt are just being honest about the situation
I think that Germany also has a decent prison system with a very low recidivism rate. The Daily Heil and its like must be challenged - what do they want out of prisons? A university of crime where new entrants learn more ways to practise their criminality on the inside and when they get back outside, or somewhere where inmates have a chance to break the cycle they're already in.
Not a bleeding heart liberal approach, but one that reduces the cost of the prison system long-term and makes the country safer.
I can highly recommend "Juan Likes Rice and Chicken", which is the Documentary Now! episode (S2E2) that is parody / loving homage to Jiro Dreams of Sushi. All of Documentary Now! is a delight, with each episode based on a different documentary style or specific documentary film.
and wholeheartedly recommend it - although when I say gritty I really mean it.
I found it highly thought provoking on the false dichotomy between prisoners and prison staff (to be imperfect is to be human, the brutalised brutalise others in every direction, people bring the impacts of their personal lives to work etc).
Truly it is antithetical to the right wing ‘easy answers to complex problems’ philosophy, whilst having very little in the way of a ‘happy ending’.
The definition of madness is doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome so there has to be reform to the prison system otherwise it will simply not be safe whether the Daily Fail agrees or not is and should always be utterly irrelevant. Starmer has appointed actual experts in this subject one of which is a HR Hero of mine the now Sir Timpson and he needs to stand by his convictions on this. Whisper it indeed but I hope now that Starmer has his seat in power he will not be cowed down by anyone on his mission to fix broken Britain, he's started down this journey so he must see it through to the end. There are those who have a real hard on for punishment and want to belittle prisoners and shut down their worth, it's highly linked to the war on drugs bullshit as well. Both are proven not to work and the viscious cycle of crime and mental health has to be broken. In a former role I experienced first hand what happens when this cycle breaks and how it benefits us all, Sir Timpson knows it too so Starmer needs to let his fantastic appointees get on with the job in the hand and fuck the daily mail and any right wing idiot who doesn't understand it
"The idea is that prisoners are punished by the removal of liberty, not the removal of dignity." #amen
I suspect that completely ignoring the Daily Mail would be a sensible principle for HMG to embrace from now on. It’s a dead duck politically.
I would also suggest completing ignoring the usual far left voices in the press as well.
These two pieces are why I subscribe to Ian’s writing. Good journalism with a judicious mix of reason and love for humanity (even when not made explicit) can bring as much joy as the work of someone who is as dedicated to their craft as Jiro is to sushi (🎶if you knew sushi, like I knew sushi 🎵)
Excellent article. We all know what the Daily Mail is and what it is about.
Daily Mail readers might like to know that without extending the changes made to account for some early release - often by as little as 70 days - the backlog of cases in police cells and the Courts cannot be tackled and the frankly terrible conditions in many prisons which house far too many people that should not be there is a national scandal.
You right, Ian, that key Ministerial appointments have been made and I agree. However, money will need to be found. The policy only kicks the can down the road by months not years.
I wish we could invest in a greater number of GPS tags to curfew people at home between set hours. It would be a darn sight cheaper, and better policy, than spending £50k pa to 'house' someone in a state I would not keep animals - and there are prison staff to consider too.
Jiro is a great doc, but I felt for his eldest son who is essentially told he must carry on the work or be disowned, whilst Jiro’s customers all say “he’ll never reach the same level as his dad”. Pretty horrible position to be put in.
Ian, does Labour has to care for what the ever dwindling readership of the Mail goes on about?
I’ve seen the state of prisons come up on the news on tv and it looks like utter hell for anyone to be in. Including prison officers. They’re dangerously understaffed because of austerity cuts and I keep hearing about a drug called Spice. Tonight I heard on the news that there are rats and bedbugs in them. That there are no places left too. So it bothers me. That this is allowed to happen. It’s one thing not caring about criminals but it’s quite another to force human beings to live like this. It’s like our country’s hit rock bottom and then you lift it up and find another layer of hell. Not to mention the impact on society. I mean most prisoners aren’t in for life. I can’t imagine what state they’re in when they get out.
🎯🎯🎯 negligent policy for 14 years has inevitably lead to this point - early release had been happening for quite some time due to chronic over crowding - the current govt are just being honest about the situation
I think that Germany also has a decent prison system with a very low recidivism rate. The Daily Heil and its like must be challenged - what do they want out of prisons? A university of crime where new entrants learn more ways to practise their criminality on the inside and when they get back outside, or somewhere where inmates have a chance to break the cycle they're already in.
Not a bleeding heart liberal approach, but one that reduces the cost of the prison system long-term and makes the country safer.
I'm really hoping that Starmer manages to squeeze through a few big things in what is looking like a reasonable honeymoon period.
AI Narration of this post:
https://askwhocastsai.substack.com/p/whisper-it-but-we-might-be-about
I can highly recommend "Juan Likes Rice and Chicken", which is the Documentary Now! episode (S2E2) that is parody / loving homage to Jiro Dreams of Sushi. All of Documentary Now! is a delight, with each episode based on a different documentary style or specific documentary film.
https://m.imdb.com/title/tt5543348/
Just Watch says it is available on ITVX
I recently watched this incredibly gritty prison drama series on iplayer
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2024/feb/24/prisoner-review-this-brutal-danish-drama-grabs-you-by-the-scruff-of-the-neck-and-wont-let-go
and wholeheartedly recommend it - although when I say gritty I really mean it.
I found it highly thought provoking on the false dichotomy between prisoners and prison staff (to be imperfect is to be human, the brutalised brutalise others in every direction, people bring the impacts of their personal lives to work etc).
Truly it is antithetical to the right wing ‘easy answers to complex problems’ philosophy, whilst having very little in the way of a ‘happy ending’.