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Lord Ramsbotham |
Camden books | Review | Louis Blom-Cooper's book on prison reform | Lord Ramsbotham | Prisoners | Justice | Imprisonment
What can be done to
solve the crisis facing our overcrowded gaols? Lord Ramsbotham, former chief inspector of prisons, finds answers in a new book by Louis Blom-Cooper QC
THE main thesis of Louis Blom-Cooper’s admirably short and penetrating book is that imprisonment should no longer be regarded as the instinctive punishment for crime.
Rather, non-custodial or community sentences should be the norm, with imprisonment reserved for those whose danger to the public is sufficiently serious to warrant deprivation of liberty for a period of time determined by the courts.
Louis Blom-Cooper, a tireless champion of a civilised approach to criminal justice over many years, argues cogently that, unfortunately, neither politicians nor the media seem to be prepared to examine or promote such a radical change to current practice.
In his foreword, Jack Straw, Secretary of State for Justice, contends that he does not believe that the majority of the public want to see such a radical shift in approach, an assertion that
Blom-Cooper’s statistics firmly disproves.
However, their exchange confirms Blom-Cooper’s view that governments, having created an impossible situation, shelter behind such assertions to justify retaining the status quo.
The overcrowded, under-resourced prison system in this country is in crisis, not least because it is poorly structured and lacks strategic direction. This situation has not just come about, but has grown steadily over the past 15 years, as political parties have competed with each other for the title “toughest on crime”.
Their efforts have been fuelled by an apparent determination to respond instantly to any media suggestion of alleged weakness. The appalling reconviction rate does not seem to be seen as either a failure or a wake-up call for change. So where is it all to end?
This is where Blom-Cooper’s book comes in because, in setting out so clearly the strengths and weaknesses of custodial and non-custodial sentences, on top of an informative resume of how the current situation has come about over many years, he challenges the status quo in a constructive and thought-provoking way.
He analyses with care and logic the cases for and against the various purposes of punishment and the likelihood of each achieving the aim of protecting the public.
In sum he has performed a great service to all those who share his concern about the present situation, which ought to include all of us.
That a fundamental rethink of current practices is required is undeniable; that recent ad-hoc initiatives have served to confuse and worsen is proof of the lack of coherent thought about both issue and situation.
I challenge government to deny Blom-Cooper’s case that we simply cannot afford to go on as we are.
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