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'Under-16s should not be sent to prison'

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Published Date: 05 November 2008
By SHÂN ROSS
SENDING children to adult jails in Scotland should be abolished, the chief inspector of prisons said today.
Dr Andrew McLellan identified the imprisonment of under-16s as among seven "frustrations", along with concerns about overcrowding and treatment of remand prisoners, in his annual report issued today.

But an end to slopping out and improved safety
are among seven "signs of hope".

A total of 15 children were held in adult prisons in 2007-8, down from 26 the previous year. He added that Kenny MacAskill, the justice secretary, had vowed in February to take action.

Bill Aitken MSP, the Tory justice spokesman, said: "I welcome Dr McLellan's stated aims of ending the imprisonment of children under 16 and of trying to "defeat overcrowding".

"Unfortunately for the SNP Government, it attempts to meet the latter ambition by emptying Scotland's jails, regardless of the consequences."

John Scott, chairman of the Howard League for Penal Reform in Scotland, said: "One child in prison is one child too many.

"We must not forget that this practice is in breach of various international obligations."

Tom Fox, the head of communication for the Scottish Prison Service, said children were normally held for a day or two. "We have to take children who are referred by the courts," he said.





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  • Last Updated: 04 November 2008 11:18 PM
  • Source: The Scotsman
  • Location: Edinburgh
  • Related Topics: Scottish prisons
 
1

subrosa,

05/11/2008 00:35:50
Some 16 year olds are 16 going on 50. A day or two won't do them much harm and perhaps will be a good sharp shock.
2

Guga II,

Rockall 05/11/2008 01:14:40
This is just what that waste of space, Kenny MacAskill, has been saying for some time. He doesn't want to gaol any wee neds and thugs under the age of eighteen. This is despite the fact that if these violent neds and thugs are old enough to commit adult crimes, they are old enough to do adult time.

It is bad enough that all the wee neds and thugs under the age of sixteen think they can do as they please as they won't get a criminal record until they are sixteen. Now MacAskill and his ilk want to give the same sort of protection to what are, in many cases, psychopaths, just because they are under the age of eighteen.

The punishment should fit the crime, regardless of the age of the wee neds and thugs involved.
3

Dave,

Western Isles 05/11/2008 07:33:40
What do we do with them, then? At that age, they are deemed criminally responsible (if they have committed a crime) so do the hand wringing liberal prisoners of thier own homes have any suggestions?
4

yockel,

05/11/2008 07:47:52
"We must not forget that this practice is in breach of various international obligations."

Send them to Iraq then.
5

drunken proffet,

Tassy 05/11/2008 08:12:44
I agree 100% that they should not be sent to prison. However, belting, caning and birching are well tried deterents that have weathered the test of time, but unfortunately now been discarded. In Australia there are a new generation of sex offenders, aged between six and ten. They are at present trying to cure them by physcological means (not enough practitioners) or medication. It could be a least another couple of decades before they try corporal punishment. I never knew of any long term affects caused by this type of chastisement. Alternatively a PHd in Corporal Punishment would allow schools to employ teachers who would be their very nature achieve the highest levels of scholastic achievement.
6

Conan the Librarian™,

05/11/2008 10:14:40
I work with the feral youth of Edinburgh.

There is no discipline or structure in their lives; peer group pressure means the the law of the jungle is the only one they obey.

Conscription at sixteen is the only answer:-)
7

Conan the Librarian™,

05/11/2008 11:04:00
9
Morning Spook.

A Spartan regime is the answer; it's worked well for a cheeky young rogue I know;-)
8

birdman,

edinburgh 05/11/2008 11:31:51
Could it become part of the contract of employment for all those people who think under sixteens should not be incarcarated that they must live in the areas that are affected by the blight of hooliganism and anti social behaviour that is perpetuated by mostly under sixteens.
AND penal reform should take into account that people are put in prison to penalise them. Maybe if prison time was without TV, GYMs, GAME BOY CONSOLES and other home comforts people would be more likely to ensure they don't get a second term, and that would reduce the prison population.
I am sure prison numbers have gone up since the 1950's, although real poverty has reduced.
And if, like, so many do gooders say, it is the areas people are brought up in(DEPRIVED HOUSING SCHEME'S) how are only the odd one or two in the system.
9

TimW1234,

Ottawa, Canada 05/11/2008 11:57:20
Sending these "children" to adult prisons is risky because they could be raped or otherwise physically abused by hardened criminals there.

Unfortunately, these thugs are mature beyond their years and I have encountered some who were the most nasty, foul-mouthed, out-of-control bas*tards you could NOT wish to meet.

There is a saying that if you do the crime, you do the time. These vermin should think about that before the rob, mug, rape, molest, harrass innocent citizens, get blind drunk in public puking and urinating and defecating with seeming impunity, etc.

Fine the parents, make sure these irresponsible parents have legal orders to properly surpervise their spawns of Satan, and put them in jails for youths where they will not learn even more criminal ploys from hardened adult criminals and other trash.
10

bill-alba,

fife 05/11/2008 12:05:31
The young should not be jailed........quite often they end up in court for something that we (in the 50's) got told of for...politicians should stop reading the sun and mail and think for themselves re punishment etc..
11

Iain's,

Barcelona 05/11/2008 16:55:56
What a country. They even put children in jail!
12

Dogandgoldfish,

05/11/2008 19:13:16
Welcome to the downward spiral,
Clive Fairweather prisons inspectorate "over crowding has to end"
Prison service "lets close a prison"
Clive Fairweather no really overcrowding has to end
prison service "ok we will close two prisons"
Clive Fairweather " you don't understand overcrowding and slopping out is against human rights"
prison service " right thats it we are closing 3 prisons"
Tagging is introduced, life sentence reduced to 4 years, prison service sued for millions of pounds
enter a new prisons inspectorate Mr McClelland who said overcrowding has to end
prison service "lets close another prison" (4 in total)
prisons inspectorate "over crowding has to end"
prison service " we will let prisoners out early"
prisons inspectorate over crowding has to end
lets stop sending criminals to prison because they are young criminals
WELCOME TO THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL

 

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