Junkies sent to prison paid for not getting drugs
In what seems to be a momentary lapse of sanity, The British government has decided to to settle out of court by giving drug addicts forced to go 'Cold Turkey' in prison payouts of around £750,000 because of a breach of human rights. Apparently, this will cost the taxpayer less if it weren't drawn out in court.
Correct me if i'm wrong, but did they not forfeit their human rights once they broke the law and took drugs? They can't possibly expect us to treat them humanely if they're in prison. If prison was such a wonderful place; free food, accomodation, drug addiction treatment, library (or so I am told) then we'd be queuing to go there.
The problem is we are spending too much taxpayers money turning our prisons into luxury hotels. Prisoners shouldn't expect to be pampered, they should be reminded that what they did was morally wrong and should therefore be punished. If refusing them of the drugs they so crave (which is what got them in jail in the first pace) is painful for the individual then so be it; you can't say they didn't warn them when they took the drugs in the first place.
These recent events make us question the whole legal system really. Why should they have had the right to take to court something so trivial? Why does it cost so much to tackle the case in court? It seems like the only people benefiting from the human rights acts are criminals and their legal teams.
If you ask me, I should be the one getting the compensation. Valuable money has been spent on these degenerate junkies and I haven't benefited one bit from it (other than the increase in drug related crime and the chavs roaming our streets; which are both associated with drugs and have directly affected me at one point or another). Compensation for all that taxpayer money that has been wasted on losers who take drugs, and the rehab clinics to treat them.
It's time we re-thought the whole human rights act. It seems the only people that benefit from it are the guilty, while the money of the innocent is being spent.
10 comments:
Whilst I disagree with this ruling, I think that more than ever our Human Rights need protecting. Habeus Corpus has been undermined, and we now live in the most heavily surveilled society in the 'Western' world. Add to that the fact that, in our national law, our Rights are negatively defined (ie we have a right in the 'gaps' between laws) and we have 'a situation' here.
I also disagree that prison is a holiday camp - it fucking well ain't! Prison conditions are appalling, and whilst people have to take responsibility for their crimes, we must look at tackling the very REAL causes (often cyclical and inter-generational) which underpin them. This definately includes drug rehabilitation and programmes and challenging the poverty of the mind.
It's easy, but ultimately lazy and boring, to simply write people off into 'us' and 'thems'. I mean, I find the chav thing funny on one level, but I resist succumbing to the sterotypes. We are all people, and it is degrading to those of us with a bit more wherewithall to simply dismiss and subsume whole groups under some tag or label. I think we can do better than that.
Cheers!
~ DeBunkem
Hiya,i've just discovered your blog and like what i see up to now,their was a loser who lived next door to us once and he told me "jail's sound now,ye dont get bored any more,telly in ye cell an all that" now if your a loser dolite and thats all ye do is smoke weed and watch telly,whats the difference?
OK, I exaggerated on the prisons being luxury hotels. I certainly would want to end up in on. However, as Gazza said, people no longer fear going to jail and we need to put the fear back.
As much as I complain about rehab centers being a drain on taxpayers money etc. I know that they are necessary. It's just so frustrating at times some of the stuff in the news.
And the purpose of the Chav is solely to fit the stereotype (and generally cause havoc and distruction). I'm not talking about a naughty bunch of youths, I'm talking about the people who make peoples lives a misery and are proud to be called a chav. If you visit Liverpool any time soon, you'll hate them as well.
I hail from East London mate, so I do know that some people live up to the stereotypes - I really do! (And I've been to Liverpool [you have my sympathy], Divis flats in Belfast, Moss Side, The Wall in Sheffield, etc, so I haven't been wrapped up in cotton wool.) However, my point here was that it is too easy to dehumanise people.
There was a time in my life when I would've been written off as white trash, but I'm a First Class graduate now. Even the most unlikely cases (and, trust me, I was one!) have the potential for change. As for Gazza's opinion, should we really take him as an authoratitive quotee... ho hum, I think not.
The restriction of freedom is the punishment, and, whilst that may not be working as a deterrent or as rehabilitation, I don't reckon a civilized society should resort to retribution for its own sake.
Good chatting with ya. (and where's that lazy fucker of a mate of yours got to! My blog is a joint effort too, and my co-author hasn't contributed much recently - but at least my pal has the excuse that he's away working.)
~ DeBunkem
My life ambition is to make it to London. You make some good points, and I'll bear it in mind to include other viewpoints.
In terms of my co-author, I have no idea why he doesn't write. It's not like he has a life. He'll definitely be on the recieving end of some harsh words.
You three are talking about a BIG issue. The best minds of the country cannot solve this crime thing. Perhaps not even the best minds of the world.
One truth is that crime is not always poverty-related. Some crimininals choose to be criminals because they benefit from their crimes. They know they are doing immoral things. Prisons must be a place of fear for them. Certain human right must be taken away from them while they are in prison.
"... all that taxpayer money that has been wasted on losers who take drugs, and the rehab clinics to treat them."
Losers? Addiction is, by all means and purposes, an illness. Often, the addicts are addicted for harsh yet real reasons.
This was an idiotic case of Government pampering, coming at a point when it is telling us it's "rebalancing the system in favour of the victim". Yet, those that were responsible for making them go 'cold turkey' were obviously negligent and should be punished accordingly.
A self inflicted disease. I go to a school where a significant proportion of the students take drugs. What "real reasons" do they have for taking them?
Recreation, curiosity; are they worthy reasons to take drugs?
But I do agree with you that the ruling was idiotic, and that the instigators (and it pains me to say this) deserve to be punished. Although giving criminals in prison money is ridiculous.
Thanx lid,i've never bn deleted b4 an all that!
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