You will be well aware of the crisis in our prisons. This is another, in the long list of examples where the false economy of short term “efficiency savings” becomes apparent somewhere down the line. And that is before you consider the human cost above and beyond the balance sheet.
I heard Peter Clark, the Chief Inspector of Prisons on the radio this morning with regard to indeterminate IPP sentences and their impact upon the crisis. Again one can measure this both in purely budgetary terms and/or its human cost – just read the story of James Ward 11 years into a 10 month IPP in the link above for an example the latter.
Once upon a time James would have had access to a Prison lawyer to advise and assist him with sentence progression. This right was punitively removed from him by Chris Grayling – the budgetary impact was de minimus in the scope of Legal Aid spending. I am not saying that this has had a major impact upon the current crisis, reduced Prison Officer numbers seem the major cause. It is another example however of where legal aid cuts have had an all too foreseeable, negative impact upon present day problems. The new Justice Secretary might want to ponder on this.
Finally, as a hard working, taxpayer I want mine spending on the provision of access to justice for the likes of James Ward, as a matter of principle and not just because it makes sound, practical and economic sense.
