WHY HAVE PRISONS?

Last week, the government released Great Train robber Ronnie Biggs from prison on “compassionate” grounds. It now looks like the government is preparing to release the Lockerbie bomber, Al-Megrahi from prison on “compassionate” grounds so he can return to Libya and die there. I was wondering why we bother with prisons at all?

On the BBC this morning, Barnardos were in attack mode making claims about all the “children” that we send to prison. This has been allocated not one, not two, but THREE slots on Today so maximum PR for the left wing campaign group Barnardos. Meanwhile the BBC reports that Dame Anne Owers (a favourite) has claimed that illegal immigrants and foreign prisoners are failing to be removed from the UK because escort staff are “intimidating” them. Presumably these thuggish staff will need to be sent on sensitivity courses to learn how to be more respectful to convicts and illegal immigrants.

The recurring BBC meme is that prison does not work.