| Turn prisoners into workers | Erwin James We should applaud Ken Clarke's proposal to make prisoners work – and end the culture of idleness in jailIt was good to read George Michael's retort to all the sensationalist guff that has been written about his experience since he was jailed last month.Anyone who knows anything about the reality of prison knows that Michael has had no "special treatment". As soon as he was convicted, he was placed in a holding cell below the courthouse, where he met his first cell mate prepared to sell a no doubt embellished story about how Michael was struggling to cope. Then he was transferred to Pentonville prison, one of the most unpleasant penal establishments in the country, and held in the the Vulnerable Prisoners Unit. Finally he has been transferred to Highpoint prison in Suffolk, a category-C adult male prison holding almost a thousand prisoners serving from a few months to life, including murderers, rapists and paedophiles. Not for nothing was Highpoint christened "Knifepoint" by the prison population.Much to the chagrin of millions of Michael's fans around the world, therefore, there has been no special treatment for this global megastar – neither has he been subjected to the brutality that some commentators predicted. "Please believe me when I tell you," he implored in his statement, released yesterday, "in the last three weeks, there have been no tears, no anxiety, no bullying – in fact, not so much as a sleepless night for me."As a longtime fan, I was pleased to see that he is adapting to prison life rather well. The only possible special treatment he alluded to was from some of his fellow prisoners, who "might be letting him win at the pool table"."Most of my days have been spent reading thousands of letters and postcards of incredible support from people around the world," he said. Playing pool and reading fan letters, eh? That speaks volumes about the state of the prison system at the moment.Which touches on the issue that justice minister Ken Clarke focused upon today in his speech at the Conservative party conference in Birmingham. "'Most prisoners lead a life of enforced, bored idleness, where getting out of bed is optional," he said as he announced plans to introduce a 40-hour working week for people in prison for which they would be paid the minimum wage. Surely that's more like it? Enforced idleness, or constructive and purposeful work with real wages instead of weekly pocket money for chocolate bars and cigarettes?Clarke envisages that prisoner wages will be divided between victims' charities and the prisoners themselves. The prisoners will still only receive a relatively small amount to spend, but will be allowed to save what is left after a sum has been paid to victims and access the saved amount two years after they have been released – so long as they have "gone straight" during this period.This is an excellent idea, though it is sure to create a legislative and logistical minefield, not to mention a backlash from supporters of former Conservative home secretary Michael Howard, who believed that enforced idleness – ie prison as it was when he was in charge – works.But Clarke is determined, and his logic is brilliantly simple. "'If we want to reduce the crimes these people will commit when they get out, whilst boosting the amount that can be provided for victim support, we need as many prisoners as possible to work hard for regular working hours. We have to try to get those people who have the backbone to go straight, to handle a life without crime when they have finished their punishment." And how is he going to achieve this arm of his "rehabilitation revolution"? "We will make it easier for prison governors to bring more private companies into their jails," he said, "to create well-run businesses, employing prisoners in regular nine-to-five jobs."The trouble is, the prison governors are not so sure that Clarke's plans can be achieved. In their response to his speech, the Prison Governors' Association issued a press release in which they wonder how they are going to do it. "Two-thirds of all prisoners are unemployed before being sent down," they say, "half have absolutely no qualifications, and more than a third have reading skills below that expected of an 11-year-old." They also say that prisoners, though captive, are generally reluctant to engage in meaningful work: "Many suffer from the influence of years of substance misuse or mental health problems, both of which severely impact on the delivery of quality work." And finally they ask, "Is it right, at a time of economic crisis, that prisoners should be taking work from law-abiding citizens, many of whom are losing their livelihoods?" Paddy Scrivener of the PGA describes Clarke's plans as "laudable" but adds ominously, "God knows how we are going to do it."Well, I don't know the answer to that. But Clarke must have a plan, and that is as good a beginning as any. As well as incapacitating wrongdoers for a while, prison needs to be a powerful mechanism for reducing reoffending. Pool and fan letters are all very well. But nothing compares to good solid labour and a reasonable week's pay.Prisons and probationKenneth ClarkeUK criminal justiceErwin Jamesguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Town centre closed after gas leak Police evacuate Oldham town centre after a gas leak which was caused by tram extension work. bbc.co.uk |
Paying the price for honesty Telegraph View: We hope very much that Miss Birbalsingh is soon able to return to teaching in a state-funded school. telegraph.co.uk |
Co-operative Group considers sale of life assurance business Co-op Group appoints Deutsche Bank as advisor on review of its insurance arm, which has policies worth around £18bnThe Co-operative Group is considering the sale of its life assurance business, which has nearly three million customers in the UK, with policies worth around £18bn.The diverse group, whose interests range from supermarkets to banking, has appointed Deutsche Bank as an advisor on a strategic review of the insurance arm. It is understood the mutually owned group has received a number of expressions of interest since issuing an information memorandum, with would-be bidders including Resolution and Phoenix, the investment firms keen to consolidate the insurance industry. However, the Co-op has not entered into serious sale talks and has not ruled our retaining the unit.The insurance arm is housed within Co-operative Financial Services, which was created by a merger with the Britannia building society last year to form a business that now offers current accounts, mortgages, pensions and life insurance.The financial services business saw profits rise by 50% to top £75m in the first half of the year, but the figures were accompanied with a downbeat economic forecast from the group's chief executive. Peter Marks said conditions would not improve until 2011 "at the earliest". Co-op's travel arm has been the hardest hit, with profits falling by more than two-thirds to £400,000 in the first half following the volcanic eruption in Iceland. Group-wide pre-tax profits fell by 30% to £169.2m.Co-op has launched the review of its insurance business at a time when the insurance industry is a regular subject of takeover speculation. The Royal Bank of Scotland has begun vetting potential advisers over the potential sale of Direct Line, while RSA has bid for Aviva's UK, Irish and Canadian general insurance operations and Prudential scrapped a $35.5bn (£22.6bn) acquisition of AIA in Asia.The group has made some aggressive corporate moves in recent years, led by the Britannia merger and the £1.6bn takeover of Somerfield, a move that reinforced the Co-op's position as the UK's fifth largest grocery retailer with 3,000 stores in £7bn in annual sales. Although the newly acquired stores have missed sales targets, the group has countered criticism of the deal by boosting profits through accelerating cost cuts.Earlier this month Co-op merged its travel and foreign exchange business with Thomas Cook as the under-performing division was hit by weak consumer sentiment and tough competition as rivals scrambled to woo holidaymakers with cheap deals.Co-operative GroupInsurance industryBankingMergers and acquisitionsPrudentialDan Milmoguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Police want 'spy' cameras removed All surveillance cameras put up in largely Muslim areas of Birmingham should be removed, the chief constable of West Midlands Police says. bbc.co.uk |