Published: 14 hrs ago
Cons to get bill for court costs
"Cash taken from prisoners' future wages
Paying for their crimes ... cash will be taken from their future earnings
PRISONERS will be forced to pay for their court costs under tough plans unveiled today.
The cash would be deducted from crooks’ future earnings when they are freed from jail.
The move is an attempt to shift the burden from hard-up taxpayers.
At the moment there is no power to make prisoners cough up towards the running costs of courts — such as staff wages, rent and utilities.
That is despite the bill for criminal cases in HM Courts & Tribunals Service set to reach a staggering £665.5 million in 2013-14. Justice Secretary Chris Grayling will announce the plan as part of a consultation to tackle soaring legal aid bills for criminals.
He said last night: “Why should the law-abiding, hard-working majority pay for a court service for the minority who break the law?"
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Is that a trick question, Chris? ...
The Social Contract dictates, that when you fail to supply the needs of the populace and/or break your promises, it is within Natural Justice (indeed, it is sometimes essential) for the populace to 'break the law'; Natural Justice transcends Executive/Judicial Law/Justice.
You make the laws, thus, when you wish to maintain Social Control, you carry the cost of your decision to break the Social Contract; otherwise Natural Justice will operate (see above), leading to more crimes being committed.
Easy one, that ... next one? (Dr Oldfield let Chris know).
The OSC
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“Those who live outside the law should pay the consequences both through being punished and bearing more of the costs they impose on society."
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/politics/4879187/prisoners-to-pay-court-costs.html
Tuesday 09 April 2013
Justice Secretary Chris Grayling wants criminals to pay towards cost of their trials
"Criminals should be made to contribute towards the cost of their own prosecution, Justice Secretary Chris Grayling will say today.
With almost 1.5 million defendants passing through the system every year, the cost of criminal trials is expected to reach £665.5m this financial year. Today Mr Grayling will announce plans being developed by the Ministry of Justice to deduct the cost of court proceedings from a criminal’s future earnings."
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/justice-secretary-chris-grayling-wants-criminals-to-pay-towards-cost-of-their-trials-8565045.html
9 April 2013 Last updated at 12:15
Legal aid: Government consults on £220m savings
"Prisoners would be denied legal aid unless the case related to their sentence
A consultation on plans to save £220m from the criminal legal aid bill has been launched.
Proposals include stopping defendants with a disposable income of more than £37,500 from automatically receiving legal aid and curbing prisoners' right to legal aid.
The consultation also paves the way for lawyers to compete for contracts."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22075141
Legal aid payouts to fat cat lawyers will be slashed by a third, says Justice Secretary
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2306630/Legal-aid-payouts-fat-cat-lawyers-slashed-says-Justice-Secretary.html
TV, gym, DVDs... prisoners will have to 'earn privileges' in Government crackdown on lax regime
"Under Mr Grayling’s proposals to be published today:
* All newly convicted adult male prisoners required to wear prison uniform for at least two weeks.
* At the end of that period prisoners who “do not co-operate with the regime or engage in rehabilitation” will move onto a “basic level” of entitlement and will not be given in cell televisions or regular access to the gym.
* Subscription channels will be removed from private prisons and all Certificate 18 DVDs will be banned.
Mr Grayling said he believe it was not right that some prisoners were spending hours in their cells “watching daytime television while the rest of the country goes out to work”.
"For too long, there has been an expectation that privileges are an automatic right, given simply as a reward for staying out of trouble,” he said.
“This cannot continue. Prisoners need to earn privileges, not simply through the avoidance of bad behaviour but also by working, taking part in education or accepting the opportunities to rehabilitate themselves.”
But Frances Crook, Chief Executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said the plans were unlikely to have any meaningful impact.
“Today’s announcement sees ministers pottering among the flowerbeds while ignoring the burning building before them,” she said.
“The fact that the prison population has doubled in the past 20 years has left prisons overcrowded and staff overstretched, with little choice but to lock people up in their cells all day with nothing to do.
“It is bizarre then to introduce new layers of red tape which will only add to the cost of prison and demands on staff time.”"
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/tv-gym-dvds-prisoners-will-have-to-earn-privileges-in-government-crackdown-on-lax-regime-8595741.html
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