"We are doing
something," replied the Minister.
"What
exactly are you doing?" was the response to that.
The
heated argument became more intense in this private meeting with the agrieved
parents of a murdered child.
"You
have to understand..."
"I do understand. You are
not doing anything, though you try to justify inaction with words. You say our
prisons are full up. So what? Build more prisons."
"It's
not as simple as that."
"How
can it be difficult to understand that if there are not enough prisons then the
small number that there are will obviously be inadequate. Justify not sending
people to prison because there aren't enough prisons."
"No,
that's not right."
"But
that is what you are doing now. You've said nothing. Typical political
non-answers. Attempts at appeasement."
"Stop
right there, you are starting to become offensive."
"Really?
And it's OK to let out killers to kill again? You are offensive by assuming
people don't care or have forgotten. You insult people every day by releasing
dangerous people early back into society. The courts give out a prison sentence
and this is instantly disregarded. You all know that this sentence will almost
never be spent in prison in its totallity."
"Criminals
need some hope to exist..."
"Do
you think I care if a killer is having a bad time? We are having a bad time. My
wife and I are having a very bad time. Coming to terms with the death of our
beautiful daughter. Murdered by a killer released back into society after only
5 years of a 9 year sentence. The sentence was totally inadequate in the first
place. Recently, a man was released after 25 years of an indefinite sentence
for attempted murder. Attempted. The tariff should have been around 10 years,
but he was released only after the Court of Appeal ruled that a micarriage of
justice had taken place. This was only because of an investigation by the
Criminal Cases Review Commission. He'd have got less if he'd admitted the
crime. He refused as he hadn't committed it and it transpires that the police
'fitted' him up. They've since retired and are allowed to get off with nothing.
For what they did? Perjury. Perverting the course of justice. Being responsible
for locking up an innocent man for 25 years. Nothing? I can't find words to
express my disgust, but I do hope the guy gets £50m compensation. And add to
that those guilty officers' collective pensions. I am not joking. They must not
be allowed to enjoy the rest of their life."
"Long
term imprisonment is hard and these offenders need hope."
"Prison
is hard? That's the whole idea so that we take care not to do things that might
mean being sent there. It was obviously not hard enough for the bastard that
murdered our daughter. You've created a situation that needs to be resolved.
Real action. And it seems it is to be my task to do your job for you.
Effectively."
"What
are you suggesting? Revenge?"
"I
can say anything I like at the moment, but like you until I am seen to do
something, it is just words."
"The
courts are a very inexpensive method of seeming to do something. The fines that
are extracted simply go to help finance court costs. No prison or detention in
most cases, so no costs to the State. No need to build more prisons as nobody
is going there. Those already there will eventually be let out earlier and
earlier, the sooner the better so freeing up spaces. The original sentence is
obviously only a recommendation from a judge that means nothing really. It is a
cosmetic sentence to appease the public at the time. Most people forget as
their interest is only very short term. Maybe days or certainly a few weeks at
most."
"You
are being inaccurate."
"Tell
me how I'm being inaccurate and give me information - real information - I can
verify. I want to be wrong. I just think I am not wrong."
Louis Brothnias 2005