30. Aug. 2010. – 23:07:46
There is a dearth of interesting news and other pressing matters over a Bank Holiday but viewed collectively a few snippets noticed over the last week or so arguably provide a greater insight into the criminal activity that takes place day in day out in every village, town and city in this country than the headline events.
I discussed drugs in prison on January 31st. A recent report concerning Craig Inches prison in Aberdeen commented upon by Shadow Scottish Justice Minister and North East MSP Richard Baker revealed that drugs finds at Craig Inches have doubled over the last 3 years. Of course the conclusions are perverse. With a fixed amount being brought in to the prison it could be said that detection and seizure have improved considerably but as the usual opinions are that drug seizures are a relatively fixed proportion of the total smuggled amount, in such a situation one might reliably conclude that the problem is getting out of control in this prison especially when the increase nationally of such seizures is just 12%. It is difficult to dismiss the thought that the prison drug problem in general is not a problem for those running prisons. In simple terms if there is not the will there is not a way.
As somebody who has been for some years in favour of the de criminalisation of drugs nothing seems more to articulate the case that hard drug users require a medical intervention and not a legal one than the case reported at Blackburn Magistrates` Court where Kenneth Young was imprisoned for his 183rd offence. Cases such as this should be on the desks of cabinet ministers responsible for our health and law and order.
It seems that the difficulties of the European Extradition Treaty about which I commented on August 23rd are not just one way. Our European Union associates` justice systems are being utilised in all their majesty to extradite low level criminals to their homelands where justice is waiting for them. It seems this reciprocity is at the British tax payers` expense. There is an interesting report in The Telegraph.
Since increased resources from all directions have been focussed on domestic violence the impediment often preventing justice being done is the same as it always has been……the reluctance of the injured party, usually but not exclusively female, to give evidence against the male perpetrator. Bringing such cases to court involves the judgement of the CPS; their task is certainly difficult. How many cases fall at this hurdle I obviously don`t know. A clear example of such a case both resulting in a conviction and the complainant re-uniting with her guilty partner was heard at Croydon Crown Court. The defendant had pleaded guilty and the assumption is that magistrates had sent him to the Crown Court for sentence. The disposal suggests they could have saved the state money by retaining sentencing but that`s another matter for another time.
Interestingly enough the Manchester Evening News reports that there were 28,493 reports of domestic abuse in the Greater Manchester area in the first six months of the year. How many ended in court proceedings is unknown. Perhaps the recent speculation that there is some evidence that Neanderthals bred with early Homo Sapiens in or around Old Trafford when the home team lost has some truth to it.
And this is criminal life as we have come to accept it in 2010.
As somebody who has been for some years in favour of the de criminalisation of drugs nothing seems more to articulate the case that hard drug users require a medical intervention and not a legal one than the case reported at Blackburn Magistrates` Court where Kenneth Young was imprisoned for his 183rd offence. Cases such as this should be on the desks of cabinet ministers responsible for our health and law and order.
It seems that the difficulties of the European Extradition Treaty about which I commented on August 23rd are not just one way. Our European Union associates` justice systems are being utilised in all their majesty to extradite low level criminals to their homelands where justice is waiting for them. It seems this reciprocity is at the British tax payers` expense. There is an interesting report in The Telegraph.
Since increased resources from all directions have been focussed on domestic violence the impediment often preventing justice being done is the same as it always has been……the reluctance of the injured party, usually but not exclusively female, to give evidence against the male perpetrator. Bringing such cases to court involves the judgement of the CPS; their task is certainly difficult. How many cases fall at this hurdle I obviously don`t know. A clear example of such a case both resulting in a conviction and the complainant re-uniting with her guilty partner was heard at Croydon Crown Court. The defendant had pleaded guilty and the assumption is that magistrates had sent him to the Crown Court for sentence. The disposal suggests they could have saved the state money by retaining sentencing but that`s another matter for another time.
Interestingly enough the Manchester Evening News reports that there were 28,493 reports of domestic abuse in the Greater Manchester area in the first six months of the year. How many ended in court proceedings is unknown. Perhaps the recent speculation that there is some evidence that Neanderthals bred with early Homo Sapiens in or around Old Trafford when the home team lost has some truth to it.
And this is criminal life as we have come to accept it in 2010.
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