Cameron’s caving in yesterday to the deep and unpleasant prejudices of the hard-right retributionist lobby has banged shut the brief momentary expectation of a more liberal penal policy. The objective of cutting prison numbers by 6,500 (a fairly arbitrary proportion of the 85,000 currently detained) was removed by scrapping 50% discounts across the board (not only in rape cases), failing to rationalise indeterminate public protection sentences which keep thousands detained long after their jail terms have expired, and announcing new mandatory jail terms. This is wrong on every ground. Continue reading →