Only On The BBC …

There’s concern about the number of prisoners released early from prison on license who go on to kill or commit serious crime while still under ‘supervision’ :

Criminals on probation committed more than 1,000 serious crimes over the last two years, including nearly one murder a week in England and Wales.

The government figures give details of the 1,167 offences committed by people being supervised by probation officers.

The total included 94 murders, 105 rapes and 43 arson attacks.

Only a BBC producer could decide that the best person to interview on the topic is someone who believes the problem to be, not that criminals are being released early from prison, but that they were sent there in the first place.

As I’ve pointed out before, Frances Crook of the Howard League For The Abolition of Punishment must be able to find her way to the Today studios blindfold by now.

CRIMINAL IRRESPONSIBILITY

It’s rare for a week to go past without the BBC running an item somewhere suggesting that Britain should top locking criminals up. It’s all part of the narrative and so it is no big surprise to hear an item on Today earlier this morning suggesting that we should follow the example of Finland and cease “incarcerating” young people (anyone under 21) in our prisons. The debate was between Professor Rod Morgan who supports the Finnish model, and Michael Howard who does not. An exchange of opinions – which is fair enough. But the bit that got me was the way in which BBC reporter Mark Easton set the whole item up in prejudicial language that was clearly very sympathetic to the line then taken by Morgan. In this way, Howard was basically outnumbered two to one, before on then throws in John Humphrys! Bias – it’s just a way of life for them.