Lights out at Young Offenders Institutions

Lights out - and no reading under covers: Young offenders will be sent to bed early - just like at Eton - The Independent



It's futile to argue with Lord Chancellor Grayling, as his sport is to provoke those who know what they are talking about, so that they look ridiculous in the immature swirl of populism, name-calling and handwringing that our National Discourse has become. Never mind that his ban on sending in books is counterproductive and just an old trick of Crown Prerogative "justice" to inflict a form of torture that doesn't show the marks (cf A Man for All Seasons, Act 2, scene 7). Never mind that his "strict" and "tough" measures are known to be counterproductive and contribute nothing to reduced offending, desistance from crime, or resettlement and that the Commons Select Committee has concluded that, with crime and serious crime both falling, his repression is a waste of money better spent on (considerably cheaper) prevention, therapy and problem-solving. All I will say is that, instead of ordering the practice in minute detail of experienced governors, prison staff and professionals who know exactly what to do and what not to do, at the same time as cutting the means to do it beyond sustainability, Grayling C should run a Young Offender Institution himself, be measured on his personal and direct outcomes on their behaviours, circumstances and prospects - and see how far he gets.

The Riots of August 2011

Now that most sides have offered their analysis and the justice processes are reaching their conclusions, I am posting an edited version of a private briefing I wrote in September 2011, drawn from the perspective of contacts working in charities with young people in affected communities, crime diversion and offender resettlement charities and justice professionals, as well as young people who took part in the rioting and those who refused to, right across the country.

I have only changed the substance of the text to include a note of the interim report from HM government's somewhat limited Riots, Communities and Victims Panel, which was issued in November 2011, followed by a more considered analysis with recommendations in a final report in March 2012. In my view the consultation was not wide enough on the ground, tended to manage upwards towards policy concerns and possibilities, and did not look at the riots in proportion, or in comparison with earlier instances of social unrest (as distinct from political demonstration), from which the necessary lessons from successful preventive measures could be drawn. Neither was there sufficient recognition of the power and effectiveness of a host of voluntary and philanthropic interventions across the rest of the UK which, arguably, contributed to greater social cohesion and peace there, despite comparably adverse social and economic conditions and prospects. The Guardian also offered a searching and sustained reading of the riots, and with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation sponsored a research project at the London School of Economics, which issued a report in December 2011 called, Reading the Riots. At first this appeared limited, too, as it was a thorough presentation of findings from the viewpoints of participants in the disorder, leading to accusations of one-sidedness and of defending the indefensible. But subsequent phases have been consulting the police, prosecutors and judges; and now there are local "Community Conversations" under way, taking into account the grievances of disadvantaged areas and the views of those adversely affected by the rioting of their neighbours. This will lead to a second report, which will doubtless offer, in the light of the first report, a rounded view of causes, events and the solutions that will tend to prevent their recurrence.

The reflection I wrote can be found on the Social Development page, or here.