An open letter to The Right Hon Kenneth Clarke QC MP, Lord Chancellor

Kenneth Clarke blames English riots on a 'broken penal system' | UK news | The Guardian:

'via Blog this'

Dear Mr Clarke,

I know the above article was a few days ago but it did make interesting reading.

You blame the riots on a "broken Penal system".  The article goes on to tell us that "75% of those aged over 18 and charged with offences... during the riots had prior convictions".

"That is the legacy of a broken penal system - one whose record in preventing reoffending has been straightforwardly dreadful."

I am on record as saying that I despise most politicians, I really do not have a lot of time for any of them as I firmly and truly believe that they are all a bunch of self serving arrogant out of touch, prats.

Points in case Margaret Moran who finally is facing 21 charges for expenses claims.  Then there is Sir Stuart Bell who it is revealed has not held a constituents surgery in 14 years, so why do they continue to elect him if he will not engage with them?

But you Ken Clarke, well I must also admit to having liked you more than a little over the years as you always appeared a bit of a rebel in parliament.  But, since the ConDems elevation to power and 'old' Kens return to front line duties you now also fall into the categories of self serving arrogant out of touch, prats.

Self serving, because I believe you will say anything these days to get back in to a position of power, only trouble is every time you open it you really do need to consider shoving a 'hush puppy' into it before actually saying anything..

Rape, forced to apologise over remarks
Prison sentencing forced to scrap plans
Expenses  Avoids paying full rate council tax

But having said all that I find myself agreeing with you that there is a "broken penal system"  Yes but it is just not the penal system that is broken, the justice system is broken too.  So are the people we charge with ensuring that we actually do have a penal system that is up to the job. But if the people that we elect are not up to the job how can we expect the penal and justice systems to be any better? We can't and it is really that simple.

Human rights laws are they to protect us all but all to often we find that in doing that they protect the dignity and rights of recidivist offenders.

You say that the penal system is not doing enough to stop and prevent reoffending.

Prisoners welfare groups call for more leniency and more rights for prisoners.

Prisoners and ex prisoners demand voting rights and radios and TV's and single cells!

When will you and they realise that there are some people on this planet who are career criminals, whether they are petty thieves or serial assaulter's, muggers or burglars or murderers or paedophiles; That is what they do and no amount of reform is going to change that.  No amount of rehabilitation is going to change that.  It is what they do and what they are.

We need to stop giving them second, third and fourth chances and we need to lock them up and throw away the key. The original article linked to this says it all, "75% of those aged over 18 and charged with offences... during the riots had prior convictions". 


The recent murder of a pensioner in Cleveland highlights this better than any other, although I must point out that the man arrested for the brutal bludgeoning to death of the 77 year old has not been convicted or gone to trial yet, but the person they were looking for and who has been arrested has convictions for kidnap, rape, armed robbery and indecent assault. (Read More http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-news/breaking-news/2011/09/01/new-images-of-murder-suspect-graeme-jarman-72703-29344197/#ixzz1XM36Gn4n).


Now I also understand that he has spent a considerable amount of time in prison, I believe his last sentence was for something like 15 years, but that he was let out after 8. Now I have found it difficult to find a lot of information on this chap trawling through the web today and I suspect a lot has been removed so that it would be difficult for people to do web searches for fear of prejudicing any upcoming trial and that is probably as it should be.

But, on the strength of what we do know as opposed to what we don't know He has numerous convictions for serious crimes KIDNAP, RAPE, ARMED ROBBERY, INDECENT ASSAULT.

Why was he out walking our streets?  This is where the bleeding hearts have got it wrong, no amount of rehabilitation is going to make these people change their ways and they will go to parole board meetings and meetings of reformers and with politicians and they will tell them as they wring their hands and hang their heads, "Yes guvnor I realise that I have been a bad person and that what I've done has been bad.  But, the crochet and knitting lessons that I have attended while in prison for the last 8 years have made me see the error of my ways and if you let me out instead of making me serve the other 7 years of my sentence I will be a good and model citizen, I will, honest I will..."

And you fall for it every single time. And we end up with murderers and rapists and child molesters and burglars out walking our streets reoffending in the knowledge that even if they are caught they will do a couple of years and be back out on the streets again.

The Justice and Penal Systems are broken because politicians and soft judges and do gooders have broken them. 

I recall sitting on the train from not long after the ConDems came to power and before I started blogging.  There were three teenagers on the train and it was a school day.  They were not heading to school they were heading to Southend and brazen in their talk.  The talk was about you, so at least teenagers were I guess engaging in some form of political debate, which on the surface one might think a good thing.  But, sadly, no, that was not really the case.  It was the morning that you were all over the news calling for shorter sentencing and no sentencing for some crimes.  They were full of themselves telling anyone who was listening as they shouted that they were off to 'Southend for a bit of trouble'.  A bit of 'shoplifting here and and see if we can nick from a car or two or maybe even nick one'.  We might find a 'ponce who needs a doing' was another comment.  And how they laughed when they said 'we'll be ok tho if we're caught cos fat clarkey doesn't want to lock us up no more'.  This sums up recidivists, they don't care and they see you and because of you and your likes they see the rest of us as jokes and victims to be continually abused, stolen from and beaten to a bloody pulp because politicians and do gooders want to think well of everyone and believe wrongly that goodness resides, somewhere in us all, when it is clear to us that in some it does not exist!
  

It is time that you listened to the rest of us and start locking these people up for life with no possibility of parole.  If we need to build bigger and more secure prisons so be it.  Build them in the middle of the Yorkshire Moors, The Scottish Highlands and in Dartmoor.  Beauty spots they may be, but they are also ideal places to dump our human garbage, because that is what these sorry excuses for human beings are, nothing but human garbage and they should be treated like all  non recyclable garbage dumped in the waste system, never to be seen or heard from again.......  

Yours Sincerely