Prison population has increased by a factor of ten since just before the war. Even allowing for the general population roughly doubling since then we still have five times more in prison now than we did then. This seems strange since in 1940 you could go to prison for stealing a loaf of bread and now shoplifting is hardly counted as a crime at all.
Spot on, the historical contrast is wild! You’d think with bread theft off the high-stakes list we'd have a bit more elbow room in the cells, but the numbers keep telling a very different story.
The entire judicial system has suffered years of underfunding, first by the Tories and since them by Labour. Under Burnham, this will no doubt continue, as it will too in all other essential areas of public life. The country needs more money in it and those in charge of providing it, ie the Govt. who control the money supply, refuse to do so on transparently implausible grounds. Until that situation changes, quality of life for the majority in the UK will continue to deteriorate.
Appreciate the thoughtful take, Bill. It really does highlight how papering over the cracks in funding eventually leaves you with a full-blown capacity crisis.
Prison population has increased by a factor of ten since just before the war. Even allowing for the general population roughly doubling since then we still have five times more in prison now than we did then. This seems strange since in 1940 you could go to prison for stealing a loaf of bread and now shoplifting is hardly counted as a crime at all.
Spot on, the historical contrast is wild! You’d think with bread theft off the high-stakes list we'd have a bit more elbow room in the cells, but the numbers keep telling a very different story.
The entire judicial system has suffered years of underfunding, first by the Tories and since them by Labour. Under Burnham, this will no doubt continue, as it will too in all other essential areas of public life. The country needs more money in it and those in charge of providing it, ie the Govt. who control the money supply, refuse to do so on transparently implausible grounds. Until that situation changes, quality of life for the majority in the UK will continue to deteriorate.
Appreciate the thoughtful take, Bill. It really does highlight how papering over the cracks in funding eventually leaves you with a full-blown capacity crisis.