The government has pandered to the 'howls of the tabloids' with its punitive statement on law and order. What happened to rehabilitation, especially where children are concerned?
Mark Johnson
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 28 June 2011
When someone writes that offenders should "get their just deserts" you assume they are a tabloid journalist. It's disconcerting when the author is the justice secretary and the phrase is used to open a statement about the government's intentions on law and order.
The criminal justice green paper was followed by a 12-week public consultation and events around the country. Some 1,200 considered responses were received, many from organisations that work at the coalface of the criminal justice system. Professionals gave their time to help the government understand where and how the system isn't working but the consultation process has resulted in a government response that is almost insulting in its brevity: just 13 pages.
For the detail we'll have to wait until the justice bill in the autumn. Last week's document is a statement of criminal justice philosophy and this philosophy is fundamentally punitive.
Forget the considered responses of the professionals, the howls of the tabloids have triumphed again. To appease them, words like "tough", "punish" and "control" dominate the document. As for rehabilitation, it's no longer a policy for softies because it can cut crime and costs. But it has become a process to be administered by outside bodies who claim to be able to "measure" their results and who will be paid accordingly.
Hot on the heels of the NHS furore, it would be nice to see similar outrage at the creeping privatisation of our justice services. Concepts like health and justice cannot and should not be outsourced to the lowest bidder. But for political expediency the government is ignoring the advice of those with true experience who say that rehabilitation is a complex, demanding and expensive process which cannot be judged on short-term figures.
Click here to read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/jun/28/tough-justice-fails-adults-and-children
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