The Conservative Take on Justice doesn't add up

Have you come across Mr Rt Hon Chris Grayling MP, Lord High Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice? The Justice Secretary if you prefer. He spoke the other day at the Tory Conference as the warm up act for the Home Secretary. I was there. Unbelievable. If this is Tory Party justice policy they really need to get their act together.

"We have 3,000 more male prison places" said Grayling as if this was something to be proud of, as if Britain, with the highest prison population in Europe, should be proud of the fact that crime is now so out of control that we need a further 3,000 prison cells.

He then announced with pride, "two strikes and it's life for acts of extreme violence". Which is OK on the face of it. But remember the USA and its 3 strikes and you are out policy, a nation with half the adult male black population in jail. This is supposed to be an answer? There are better ways to deal with crime.

He then announced a "No TVs in the cells for difficult prisoners" policy. What? Why are there any TVs in the cells of Category C prisons? I'll tell you why - because staff cuts mean that prisoners can't be restricted to watching telly on association. Pathetic.

He then announced that "Crime has fallen". What he means is "Crime has changed so the staistics no longer compare." If crime had actually fallen what would be the need of three thousand extra prison cells? But they are needed, urgently.

We know how questionable statistics can be. A lot depends on how you do your counting in areas of seasonal crime with higher levels of crime against women for instance as in the South West.

Then he said "10 years will mean 10 years - not five years inside and five years out on license". He then qualified that by saying "the most serious offenders will lose the right to automatic early release".

I wonder if he knows what he's talking about. He makes me nervous.

Then he said it was "crazy that someone who poses a terror threat should be allowed to stay here and crazy that we give the vote to prisoners. Our manifesto will tackle this problem . . .  we don't need more human rights laws."

He has a point but he was playing to the gallery. All knee jerk stuff. Rather sad really.

Then he came out with, "We are against Labour's policy of community sentences for the 18 to 21s." But hang on a minute. Isn't that precisely what we need? It doesn't mean you have to be softer. Putting young adults into adult prisons really does not help. What we need, I believe, is targeted zero tolerance of crime combined with increased use of restorative justice at street level by the police force. And we need it now.

Domestic Violence

I have been asked about my response to the domestic violence issue by the manager of the "North Devon Repair project", a perpetrator programme funded through the Against Domestic Abuse and Violence (ADVA) partnership based at Devon County Council. This is my response:

Domestic violence is an issue of grave concern. Here in Devon and Cornwall we have a year on year rise in cases of domestic abuse of about 5%. Generally (though not invariably) we are talking of violence against women perpetrated by men, either boyfriends against girlfriends of husband against wives. It affects whole families of course, as youngsters that witness domestic violence on the part of their parents are themselves deeply traumatised by the experience. Three-quarters of the children at risk come from families in which their is domestic violence. Obviously we need a multi-agency approach. And we have to be careful about the solutions we choose. Putting children into care is not generally satisfactory. 80% of the children taken into care eventually end up in prison.

What I would like to examine is the use of 311 notices. I think we need to enforce Harassment Orders / Non Molestation Orders. A power of arrest must always be used with Occupation Orders.

Torbay has a dedicated solicitor to deal with cases of domestic violence so that they avoid the problem of the poverty trap whereby some cannot afford to take the appropriate legal action.

I am not a legal expert and I am not planning to become one. But I will seek advice from those that are and that includes people like yourself. And my intention (subject to consultation) is to employ a police lawyer to deal with domestic violence. I view this as a matter of grave concern.