More Absconded Prisoners

[ChillDoubt]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-27464405

Not to worry though as I've no doubt (even more) lessons will be learned following the Skull Cracker debacle of a fortnight ago.

[lady-janine]

naturally. all the supposedly consolling words are ready to be spoken.

[grasscarp]

One of the newly absconded pair had absconded before! Who makes these decisions?

[Everhelpful]

You couldn't make it up really,goodness knows how many other Murderers,Rapists and Violent Thugs are in Open Prisons,no doubt,as you say, Lessons will be learned until the next time.

[anneasquith]

one has been captured,

[DaisyNonna]

Lessons learned? I rate that a fail.

[EDDIE51]

The huge majority of murderers are a 'one off' the circumstances under which they commited the offence would never reoccur . The murder happened under extream provocation or similar situations. 'Murderers' in general are not a danger to the general public and will get day release.

[royfromaus]

EDDIE1
"The murder happened under extream provocation or similar situations."


Quite right, this particular murderer (Pickering) was seriously provoked by rumours.

..He reportedly targeted his 55-year-old victim, who was partially blind and deaf, in Oldham because of unfounded rumours he was a paedophile.


I can agree with the 'one off' but the provocation part ...?

[cassa333]

And he absconded for what reason?

Not only was he provoked by unfounded gossip as a reason to target and kill his innocent victim (thus proving his upstanding citizenship) he has also done a runner.

Two very good pointers to him being an upstanding member of society then!!!

[youngmafbog]

The lunatics (the right-on liberal) have taken over the asylum.

It appears things are being tightened up, the problem is if you have a load of liberal thinkers implementing nay policy then they will look for every way to make it soft.

[Gromit]

Sorry to prick your alternate reality bubble ymb, but the Secretary of State for Justice has been a Conservative for these past 4 years. You couldn't really describe the honourable Member for Psom as a liberal.

[grumpy01]

Tick Box Mentality rules O.K.

[jim360]

I'm no fan of Chris Grayling, but he pointed out that a) Open Prisons have been around for decades; b) the "failure rate" is something like 5 per 100,000 such day-releases; c) he's planning to tighten the rules for people who've absconded previously.

I'd have thought a sensible policy would be to add 6 months to the sentence for the first time a prisoner absconds, 12 for the second etc, as well as pushing back parole. In the long run day releases, properly managed, are an important part of getting prisoners re-integrated into society. The thing that seems to be missing is that somewhere down the line there's not enough willingness to recognise that some people don't want to be reintegrated. Even for all my liberal principles, there has to be a line drawn somewhere. The Skull-Cracker certainly has crossed that line and should surely never be let out again (each time he's gone on the run he's also re-offended within days). I'd have thought that Pickering has crossed that line too.

[brionon]

Gromit-It's no good mate-the loonies will believe what they want to believe.

[youngmafbog]

Gromit, I see you chose to ignore most of my post

It appears things are being tightened up, the problem is if you have a load of liberal thinkers implementing nay policy then they will look for every way to make it soft.

And see Jims point too.

[ChillDoubt]

Pickering has now been arrested.
He should not have been given the opportunity in the first place, but doubtless no stone will be left unturned in an internal review, lessons learned etc, blah, blah, blah, bullsh!t, blah.......

[emmie]

*** is right, like the previous absconders, how on earth can you trust these people, three strikes and they are out, or more precisely in, for good.

[emmie]

bullshite, i really don't think they deserve these second, third, fourth chances, some you just can't rehabilitate.

[EDDIE51]

Something must have gone wrong in this case as after he adsconded the first time he should have been returned to a closed prison. That is the rule you only get one chance, I don't know how he got to be back in an open prison.

[EDDIE51]

royfromaus, I was refering to murderers in general not this person in particular.
As I have said on here several times, I have worked as a tutor in an open prison and have met, talked to and taught at least 6 murderers. Their crimes were a single one off event due to provocation or in the heat of an argument and it is very unlikedly they would reoffend. Robbers on the other hand are a diffrent bunch most of them admit they will be back stealing as soon as they get out and they view prison as one of the hazards of the 'job'