Times are hard for the residents within the establishments of the SPS.
It seems the incarcerated are to have their individual rights subordinated to the greater rights of the possibly offended.
It will be interesting to see if hard core pron will now make it onto the list of contraband regularly smuggled into pokey.
© Mr Plod
Published by Toy Town™ Times
My winter festival celebrations start.... now!
Added to those were the other clowns (or I could put it more succinctly - potential killers) who, despite warning after warning and campaign after campaign, arrived after blowing positive roadside breathtests. I have no sympathy for them either and I hope their bans are extended and fines increased to show how ignorant and inconsiderate they are particularly at this time of year.I was directed to this site by UHDD. I watched the video at the same time as I was considering another post on autism related matters in respect of an article I read.
Please take time to watch the video and read the article/comments.
The point the video makes and one that hit home was that making snap judgements without investigating properly can seriously discriminate against those with conditions they would not wish upon their own worst enemies.
As stated, coincidentally, I had seen the headline about Gary McKinnon and was about to launch into a tirade about why the heck should British taxpayers have to fork out for his detention over this side of the pond, when suddenly the fact that he has Aspergers grabbed my attention. I hope to God that the USA's intoxication with all things security related does not cloud the fact that Gary may not have had the restraint in his actions that you or I might imagine as 'normal.' I will be watching that case with interest.
Never, ever, think that those with problems with their noggins are less human than you or I.
Why?
© Noddy
Published by Toy Town™ Times
A wee round-up of happenings north of Watford Gap.
Lost and Found.
A Toy Town™ Polis spokestoon commented, "We are glad to see the wee bear back with Piglet, Eeyore and the gang. Winnie has a serious pot habit (honey that is- ed.) and he was persuaded by some clever but unscrupulous types to venture into Toy Town™ to source his stash. Fortunately, we combed the city and in the bees nest that is Hundred Acre Hood, during a co-ordinated intelligence-led sting operation our colleagues traced Winnie. Toy Town™ Polis would like to take this opportunity to reiterate that it will not tolerate the kidnapping of toons."
PC Milne (no relative) added, "I'm glad he didn't come to a sticky end."
I'm feeling lazy today.
I think my brain has been drained what with all that ramming I've had to do, so I thought I'd just point you in the direction of a few snippets that came to my attention.
First and foremost, let's get to the major headline today......
Postman Pat is now a toonser.
Add this to the nonsense I previously alluded to and I fear for the countryside and all our cherished memories. As stated, I will not be modernising any day soon. No hoodies for me, innit.
What has been genuinely worrying me lately has been the way the media describes 'life sentences'. In some cases this only means a life time order.
In two recent cases, life actually meant 9 years in one sentencing and then 18 months (and with backdating!) in the other. It is only if the scoundrels don't rehabilitate that the life bit kicks in. In the case of the former I'd suggest he's already shown his inability to reform on more than one occasion.
Incidentally, is it just me that finds it bizarre that a prison inmate was allowed out on day release to go to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. I also wonder where there might be room for the blighters to be banged up.
Sticking with criminals, an article directed to me by DBA Dude struck me as being a little non-diverse in suggesting that the average scrote has a poor diet based on fast foods. As Baldrick would say, "I have a cunning plan - feed all custodies Double Whoppers and Big Macs. What's that you say ... we already do?"
There's been some good news. With Joanna Yumley at the helm, they couldn't fail.
Some news even gladdens the heart.
Two final snippets. One from the land of make believe and the other unbelievable.
I'm knackered. Off for a lie down.......but in the bare spedroom!
© Noddy
Published by Toy Town™ Times
You may have seen this cartoon before, but how long will it be before it's true, now that the jails are full.
© Mr Plod
Published by Toy Town™ Times
"PA Consulting Group transforms the performance of organisations. Clients call on our independent, employee-owned, global firm when they want an innovative solution, a highly responsive approach, and delivery of hard results."
PA Consulting Group might want to reconsider this slogan.
A contractor working for the Home Office has lost a computer memory stick containing personal details about tens of thousands of criminals.
The lost data includes details about 10,000 prolific offenders as well as information on all 84,000 prisoners in England and Wales.
The data on the stick also includes information from the Police National Computer of some 30,000 people with six or more convictions in the last year.
David Smith, Deputy Commissioner in the Information Commissioner's Office, said the latest loss showed that personal information could be a "toxic liability" if not handled properly.
"It is deeply worrying that after a number of major data losses and the publication of two government reports on high profile breaches of the Data Protection Act, more personal information has been reported lost," he said.
I was just thinking about the gravy train I've alluded to in the past and then I read on. Guess what? I wasn't the only one to think laterally.
Shadow Home Secretary Dominic Grieve said there had been a "massive failure of duty".
He said: "What is more scandalous is that it is not the first time that the government has been shown to be completely incapable of protecting the integrity of highly sensitive data, rendering them unfit to be charged with protecting our safety.
"The British taxpayer will be absolutely outraged if they are made to pick up the bill for compensation to serious criminals."
So much for the tougher data laws.
Looking forward to Jacqui Spliff's views on this latest debacle, because someone has certainly lost their memory.
Update: Nice try at a body swerve Ms Teflon, but it is still your Department's responsibility to secure the data and physically prevent anyone downloading/transferring it against protocols. If it has been transferred as suggested, will she be prosecuting? Let's see.
© Noddy
Published by Toy Town™ Times
The hardships.
The poor wee mites.
Nae mair Grand Theft Auto for the incarcerated.
Anyone heard of books? (colouring or otherwise!)
© Mr Plod
Published by Toy Town™ Times
What's this? You go guess.
This was sent to me by my cousin over the pond, so don't y'all go thinking we Brits are the only ones to go soft and wiberal.
Any ideas?
Does this help a bit?
This is in Austria. It is a Justice Centre.
Clearly they have a different idea of how to handle criminals.
It is called Justizzentrum Leoben.
Homeless people should have it so good!
My Colonial cousins quote that, "Once again the taxpayer gets stung." Where have I heard that before?
So much for punishment or deterrent. Hand me the switch-blade now.
Just in case you ever get these two environments mixed up, this comparison chart should make things a little bit clearer:
@ PRISON
You spend most of your time in a 10X10 cell
@ WORK
You spend most of your time in a 6X6 cubicle
@ PRISON
You get three fully paid for meals a day
@ WORK
You get a break for one meal, and you have to pay for it
@ PRISON
For good behaviour, you get time off
@ WORK
For good behaviour, you get more work
@ PRISON
The guard locks and unlocks all the doors for you
@ WORK
You must carry a security card and open all the doors yourself
@ PRISON
You can watch TV and play games
@ WORK
You could get fired for watching TV and playing games
@ PRISON
You get your own toilet
@ WORK
You have to share the toilet with people who pee on the seat
@ PRISON
They allow your family and friends to visit
@ WORK
You aren't even supposed to speak to your family
@ PRISON
All expenses are paid by the taxpayers with no work required on your part
@ WORK
You must pay all your expenses to go to work, and they deduct taxes from your salary to pay for prisoners
@ PRISON
You spend most of your life inside bars wanting to get out
@ WORK
You spend most of your time wanting to get out and go inside bars
@ PRISON
You must deal with sadistic wardens
@ WORK
They are called 'managers'
© Mr Plod
Published by Toy Town™ Times
It has been a wee while since I last posted about the poor hard done-by inmates of SPS establishments.
What hasn't changed is the ridiculous claims of the 'odd' individual every so often.
The poor man wants us to know that the smell emanating from his portapotty leaves him feeling worthless and degraded.
I wonder how this sex offenders victim feels?
When I exercise my custody officer talents I often hear the whines of the incarcerated as they bemoan the thinness of their mattresses or the temperature of the water they are offered to drink etc. The phrase that enters my head is, "Don't come back."
Nuff said.
© Mr Plod
Published by Toy Town™ Times
It's a slippery slope we are on.
Among the array of my many splendoured talents is the fact that I am a fully trained custard occifer.
As such, I am considering the latest softly softly approach being pioneered by the Prison Service to improve my intel submissions.
Those of you trained in this fine art will shudder at the thought of me putting this aspect of the initiative ahead of the duty of care to the poor incarcerated souls (or should that be soles?), but on an average evening/night in the cell block it is hardly the Magnums and DM's traipsing down the corridors that are going to keep the incarcerated awake, more likely Mr McPished or Mr McHigh pounding on the cell door with his heid. Oh and of course there's always a Ms McBanshee.
Meanwhile, in Ruralshire the Duty Detective Inspector pays a visit to custody and is asked to remove his shoes first and replace them with the new standard issue.
© Chill Bill
Published by Toy Town™ Times
I posted some time ago about the poor prisoner embarrassed by the SPS telephone system message identifying his calls as emanating from pokey and how he'd managed to get Legal Aid to fund a court case on the grounds of infringement of his human rights.
Well at long last the daft decision has been overturned.
Can we hope for more examples of common sense?
© Noddy
Published by Toy Town™ Times
Sky News report that Paris Hilton says she has found God and plans to "do things differently" when she is freed from prison.
The hotel heiress said she was no longer a "superficial girl" and realised that acting dumb was "no longer cute".
It's not that I'm doubting you young lady, but watch this space.
God is not an accessory!
I posted previously about the gravy train that is calling regularly at your local HMP. Well, as reported in the Scotsman, the Justiciary have had to cave in to legislation made elsewhere to protect human rights, but whose rights are really protected here?
Can we call this victim orientated?
Ken MacAskill, the SNP's justice spokesman, said: "This is outrageous. People who breach the law must pay the price. Taxpayers' money is being used to fund these legal aid cases, money which could be going to help vulnerable people in need of legal representation. A line needs to be drawn now." Spot on.
I think the Convention on Human Rights needs re-examined and common sense applied. I like to dream occasionally!
I, me, myself, one, will have to PAY this criminal money out of my pocket and it makes me choke.
ITN report the following:
A public warning by police that three convicted burglars (housebreakers) are about to be released from jail has been described as an "extremely bizarre" decision.
The National Association for Care and Resettlement of Offenders (NACRO) said Suffolk Police were unfairly stigmatising the three men.
The group said the warning also appeared to be suggesting that prison did not work.
The Prison Reform Trust said the force had entered new territory and questioned whether the warning was necessary.
Both organisations said they had never heard of a police force issuing such a warning before.
Suffolk Police issued a press release warning residents in west Suffolk to beware because the three men were being released from prison in the near future.
Superintendent Jon Brighton said the number of burglaries in "west Suffolk" had dropped from nearly 700 in 2000 to around 500 in 2006.
And he added: "These men, should they choose to re-offend, have the capacity to undo all that hard work."
Police did not name the men or give any clues to their identity.
Who you gonna call?
The latest in a long list of recent whines from the incarcerated is reported by the Beeb to be the whinge that inmates at the Barlinnie Hilton are not provided with their own underwear and sometimes the underwear they are provided with is not properly cleaned.
I'm going to be controversial for a moment in stating that most crims I have met are strangers to soap and a strip search should probably be conducted with a mask as well as the rubber gloves. A wire brush and disinfectant wouldn't go amiss too!
Next thing they'll be wanting butlers and silver service.
Not my words, but those of a murdered child's mother in respect of a Paedophile who, as reported in the local evening paper;
"Has now joined the queue of money-grabbing cons hoping to cash in on the fact they have to slop out."
If these crims were as inventive in their money making schemes on the other side of the prison walls, then perhaps they would not keep ending up on the wrong side of them.
This is just one of a growing list of suits/challenges to the Prison Service such as this and this.
If the Liberal Democrats have their way there won't be a SPS to sue.
The Beeb report that a convicted rapist is launching court action claiming his human rights are being breached because he has not been granted early release from jail.
In this case, No definitely, categorically means No.
It's hard enough to get a conviction for rape, so we are told, and then the ECHR comes to the rescue of the crim at the expense of the victim (and potential victims given that the parole board said the public risk he posed was considered "unacceptable").
That would be another case brought to court at OUR expense.
According to the Scotsman, a convicted criminal is taking the Executive to court over the message played before phone calls are accepted on outgoing calls.
The message is as follows:
"This call originates from a Scottish prison. It will be logged and may be recorded and/or monitored. If you do not wish to accept this call, please hang up."
You have to feel sorry for the poor guy whose only crime, this time, involved holding a knife at the throat of a shop manageress and is serving a minor sentence of 21 years at the moment.
Not only is he being allowed to take this to court, but You and I are paying for it.
After a lengthy battle to secure thousands of pounds in legal aid, Stewart Potter, 43, has taken a case to the Court of Session in Edinburgh, claiming the phone message "is an ... embarrassing reminder to his family" that he is calling from prison.
He has served previous sentences of four, six and eight years and was given a nine-year term in 2001 for armed robbery.
In 2002, he stood trial for another robbery, committed just before the nine-year sentence had been imposed. In that case, he threatened the manageress of a Glasgow off- licence with a knife, then ordered her and a customer into a toilet. He fled with £292 but was arrested after police used CS spray to disarm him.
He was jailed for 12 years, to begin at the end of the nine-year sentence.
You must have some thoughts.
n.b. Mercilessly nicked (sic) from my ickle bruvver - ta loon.
Sky News report that the Prison Service has confirmed 2 more murderers have absconded from Sudbury open prison.
Duncan MacNeil and Paul Michael Neale were both serving life sentences when they walked out of the category D jail in Ashbourne, Derbyshire.
MacNeil was jailed for life in 1982 and Neale was jailed for life a year later.
A spokesman for the Prison Service said: "We can confirm that two men have absconded from Sudbury prison. Both men are serving sentences for murder. The relevant police force was notified immediately and the matter is now in their hands."
The latest escapes bring the total number of killers on the loose from Sudbury to five.
I repeat, 5 killers on the loose. (Read about the others here and here).
