Please say a prayer for the innocent victims of the Left, and let's not allow their suffering to be rendered meaningless as a result of inaction and complacency. (I know that in this regard I'm singing to the choir here)
Here's a related story which may not provide much hope (it seems like "more talk of the same sort" to me) but it relates to this story and so it may be of interest to some.
The Sun Online - News Vow on violent villains
Vow on violent villains |
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By VICTORIA RAYMOND NEW measures to deal with dangerous criminals when they are released from prison were announced by Home Secretary Charles Clarke today. The controversial emergency package is designed to tighten up procedures to protect the public from high-risk offenders. Mr Clarke wants to introduce a new "dangerous persons order" to control the movements of violent offenders after they have left prison. The move comes after a series of high-profile failures involving the Home Office's supervision of offenders. Mr Clarke promised firm steps after critical inquiry reports into the murders of a London financier, John Monckton, and 16-year-old Mary-Ann Leneghan. The orders are expected to ban high-risk offenders from visiting specified places, and impose curfews and regular reporting requirements to police and probation. In extreme cases, they could last for the rest of the offender's life and breaching the orders was expected to lead offenders to be sent back to jail. The conditions are similar to those often applied by probation officers after an offender's release from jail. But the dangerous persons orders would differ from this existing set-up because conditions would be imposed by the trial judge as he or she handed down sentence after conviction. Mr Clarke hopes to impose them retrospectively on criminals already in jail - a move likely to be opposed by lawyers and human rights campaigners. It was thought that, if made retrospectively, offenders would have to appear before a court to have the order imposed before they were freed. Assistant general secretary of probation union Napo, Harry Fletcher, said: "Napo understands the Home Secretary's concern, but such a move would amount to resentencing and is likely to be legally challenged. "An alternative route would be to invest in rehabilitation programmes in He added: "It is essential that ministers stop blaming the under-resourced probation service when release decisions go wrong. "No-one can reduce risk of reoffending to zero, and politicians need to Triple rapist Clive Hayes, 54, murdered a young Polish care worker Karolina Mikolajewska after persuading the parole board to release him after serving 19 years of a life sentence. A damning inquiry report is expected to be published soon into Anthony Rice, who killed after being released on licence after serving 16 years of a life sentence for attempted rape, indecent assault and actual bodily harm. About 100 ex-convicts commit serious crimes while on licence every year, according to the chief inspector of probation, Andrew Bridges. Around a fifth of those had been assessed as "high or very high" risk. But Mr Bridges stressed the figures were very small compared with the 200,000 under supervision at any one time. Mr Clarke's announcement is also expected to include an overhaul of the risk assessment procedures used to release violent and serious offenders from prison. He is also due to strengthen the parole board by restoring its ability to Victor Bates, whose wife Marian was shot dead in a Nottingham jeweller's in 2003 by raiders, one of whom was under supervision at the time, said Mr Clarke was taking the wrong approach. He said: "I think Mr Clarke ought to realise the old thing about when you are in a hole, stopping digging, and do away with the Probation Service supervising violent criminals. "It was never designed to do that. It can't do that. It has been proven that it can't do that. "Keep the violent criminals locked up." |
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Mr Clarke hopes to impose them retrospectively on criminals already in jail - a move likely to be opposed by lawyers and human rights campaigners.
May God help us all.