Ken Clarke proves you can do more with less
Telegraph (where else?): Three cheers for Ken Clarke. In a strange conference in which hopes far exceed the money needed to underpin them, he has come up with the best idea to emerge from the platform.
Saying that prisoners should work a 40-hour week for the minimum wage makes sense on every level. Victims would be rewarded from the proceeds, cash sent home to families and taxes paid. The iniquity of having fit and healthy young people sitting idly in their cells at the taxpayers’ expense currently instils the idea that it’s fine not to earn a living.
Now, assuming the scheme gets off the ground, all that is going to alter. There are already good examples in British prisons. High Down runs a gourmet restaurant, The Clink, where prisoners are trained up for the catering trade and given hope of a good job on their release. Wansdworth does IT, bricklaying, plastering and shoe repairs. Now it’s up to Mr Clarke and individual governors to build on that model.
Normally, I’d be quite happy to admit that the Howard League (referred to in the article) comes up with good ideas – but I really am not sure that this plan will work. There are Union issues. There are Employment Law issues, There are Human Rights Act issues. There are administrative, supervision and …. well… there are issues…. possibly issues which may have ESCAPED… Mr Clarke’s attention… if you will forgive the pun.
The mantra is… GET EVERYONE BACK TO WORK…. unfortunately… there are 470,000 vacancies at the moment (apparently) … but there are a lot of unemployed (Millions of ’em) …. and MORE to come?… so 85,000 prisoners…. who will want/not want to work… could be a problem.
But.. as I said in my last post… happy to be proved wrong
Perhaps these working prisoners could be given the vote? see Jailhouse Lawyer’s blog for all the gen on prisoner votes and UK compliance with European Court orders!
And… while you are at it… from Jailhouse Lawyer… this…?
UK GOVERNMENT LIABLE TO PAY MILLIONS IN COMPENSATION TO PRISONERS
***
And… for you music lovers out there… here is Elvis Clarke QC, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, singing… what else?…. JAILHOUSE ROCK
I am all for prison reform. However, all of this nonsense was spouted by the Tories prior to their being kicked out of power by Labour.
Presently, prisoners are exempt from the National Minimum Wage Act 1998. And, the Prisoners Earnings Act 1996 apart from being a load of jibberish is clearly incompatible with the HRA 1998.
The reason Labour did not bring the PEA into force was because it would cost an unreasonable amount to administer.
There is no reason why it cannot be done properly, prisoners doing a fair day’s work for a fair day’s pay. Forget, the idea of a victim tax. Forget the idea of prisoners paying for their own punishment. Prisoners should be taxed the same as any other worker in the same tax bracket. And, pay National Insurance contribution.
There is no way we are going back to the days of the Poor House or Work House.
And, there is the small matter of no taxation without representation.
Over to you Ken…
Jailhouse Lawyer – quite! I do not need to add anything.
what the hell would jailhouse lawyer know about the whole prison thing anyway? presumably the telegraph would have him banned from commenting on anything ever! damn good thing too … only language these johnnies understand etc. human rights health and safety nonsense. oakum picking that’s what we need, whatever oakum is.
if the last labour government could be accused of doing everything because of a cold cynical calculation of how it would look, this lot look like they couldn’t calculate if you gave them a load of the little machines with the numbers on. their kneees jerk so hard it’s like freddie and the dreamers got their fingers stuck in the electric socket. they really don’t think anything through at all do they?
right – err child benefit?
cut it!
who from?
err rich people?
who are rich – shit! quick quick we’ve only got 10 minutes before we announce it and ken wants his fag packet back to work out what the supreme court does.
ooh i know! the rich are people on higher rate tax.
great – how can anyone argue with that.
do we do it on household income like that child tax credit thingy nobody can understand?
no no – no time – just knock it off higher rate taxpayers.
how do we collect it?
err – honesty box? think of something, anything i don’t know and my brain is on fire
*run shrieking from room to make ill-advised speech to conference*
repeat until fade
wow, that’s pretty great, great post!
{JOSH – You’ve been rumbled… don’t do it again…. spammers not welcome I will repoint your company’s link to a porno site next time you try it]
Charon
ok josh – i’m calling ‘spammer’ on that!