Well I'm not about to get friends in the doodoo to prove it, I've no reason to doubt their word. And we're not talking about simply accompanying, and it's my understanding there are also prisons which have hospital... and dental... wings....so there's more to it than meets the eye. If someone, for example, were in final coma phase of a terminal illness (clearly little threat to the general public) how can it be justified to spend probably hundreds of pounds a day in nightshifts and overtime etc to have them 'accompanied' 24/7?

So we're talking about inefficiencies rather than principles?

As far as I'm concerned - inner, gut, that kind of thing - prisoners should not get the niceties of life. I accept that the intellectual way of looking at imprisonment is the removal of freedom and that should be sufficient. But when that provides them with a life which many would love to aspire to in the sense of light, heat, food, activities, television, cigarettes and so on, I feel that is a level of 'removal of freedom' I wholeheartedly disagree with. So that's a principle. As to the example of someone on death's door costing the nation money for a handcuff-guard, well if you choose to label it inefficiency in order to suggest I've got my thinking skewed, well fair enough. I don't think my thinking's dodgy, but I wouldn't, now would I! And I actually think if it's no more than inefficiency then whoever decreed it should be that way has their principles skewed.

.........cue reminding me the legislation, rules & regs etc are determined by a democratically elected govnt. Yes yes I know that....... we get what we deserve.

No, incarcerating them is a good way to ensure they are no longer a danger to the society they have obviously turned their back on. Locking them up is a suitable punishment for their actions. We could be like other countries and murder them and the message that sends out would be what?

I am not going to have my words twisted to me being light on criminals, I'm not but I have never and will never advocate the death sentence for any crime, it simply doesn't work.

The fact is that our prisons are already pretty well full to capacity and it appears that there are insufficient funds to build any more or to keep up with the ever increasing serious crime rate.
As a result criminals who would normally be kept behind bars are already being turned loose on society.
No doubt if we all dug even deeper in our pockets then we could keep them all locked up.

The question is where does it all end ?

The rate of violent crime continues to increase rapidly along with the availability of weapons and an ever increasing disrespect for the law.
The time will surely come when serious choices have to be made, although according to one poster it appears that criminals already have priority.

Now maybe if the day came when one of you fluffy bunnies was turned down for a life saving operation, so that priority medical treatment be given to a mass murderer, it might just possibly get you in a slightly different frame of mind.

So just because I would rather the blood of another human being was on my hands I am a fluffy bunnie? Seriously? Thats the strength of your argument?

I suggest you meant to word that a little differently as in "not on your hands" ?

In any event you can see well enough that my argument is much stronger than that and I would still be interested in hearing a direct response to the questions I raised.

Prisons should be a place so horrible to be in that no one would want to risk a second term.
No niceties, no toys work work and more work.
Bring back corporal punishments for repeat offenders, 3 strikes and you are out whatever the crime.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...cord-high.html

I have to ask, have you ever spent any time in a cell?

The Norwegians are much more enlightened than we are when it comes to jail time.

Mate of mine was done for driving under the influence and got 3 months in prison. This was reduced if he did his time at the weekends in solitory. His time was further reduced if he went on a bread and water diet. Every weekend he turned up to spent his jail time in solitary on sundays and saturdays with a stack of paperbacks.

Reduced his sentence to a quarter of what he would have done if he had done normal jail time.

Jim

A guy up my way found himself out on the streets and a bit destitute coming up to Xmas time and Winter weather setting in, so he threw a brick through the court window one night or could have been the cop shop, I can't recall now.
He duly got his wish granted by being arrested, charged and locked up.
He was ready for the worst when shown into his prison cell, but was pleasantly surprised when the first thing he saw was a TV sitting on a desk in the corner.
He was likewise quite impressed with all the other facilities available.
After release he managed to get back on his feet, but said if the same situation arose again, he wouldn't think twice about repeating the performance.

I have known a great deal of people who have been misfortunate enough to have been incarcerated and I can tell you now, not one of them would ever want to go back.

For every one of those, Matt, you'd be surprised at the number who (a)couldn't give a stuff if they do or don't (b) quite look forward to it (c) actively take action to get re-admitted.

arent you aware you are infringing his human rights??

I don't think it is queue jumping, it is making an appointment and it is kept - now isnt that a rare thing ??
and there will be less hospital staff floating around, only those needed will be in the vicinity, all others will keep away.