Jack Straw - Making up prison policy.

Compare and contrast:

Here are the fine words of wisdom from former Home Sec. Jack "man of" Straw on how to deal with crime. First we flash back to May 2000, when Jack Straw said:

JACK STRAW, the Home Secretary, will unveil controversial plans today under which young men who commit anti-social crimes such as assault, car theft or vandalism would face a "short, sharp" prison sentence.

Mr Straw's move will further anger the penal reform lobby, which will warn that jailing young offenders at an earlier stage could simply turn them into hardened criminals. [...]

The new move is expected to result in a further rise in the prison population, which has increased from 60,335 to 64,632 since Labour came to power in 1997. However, Mr Straw believes his plan could reduce the figure in the long term, and hopes a "taste of prison" will act as a strong deterrent.

Got that tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime etc. All sounds good and hard on crime. Now compare that with his comments on the Pravda style BBC that parrots New Labour propaganda, link to BBC.

Too many people are being sent to prison on short sentences, crowding the system, Justice Secretary Jack Straw has told the BBC.

He said community punishments could "work better" and should be used "in appropriate circumstances". In an interview with BBC political editor Nick Robinson, Mr Straw said: "Short sentences are a matter for the courts to decide and it has to be for them.

"What I am saying, however, is just think about whether community punishments in appropriate circumstances, which can be very tough, and on average can work better than short sentences should not be used."

Fucking hell they are making it up as they go along.

Next week Jack Straw manages to think up another soundbite for the BBC to swallow...
Hat Tip to Mr Eugenides

.