http://digbig.com/4mbpw
Grace Hammond
"Reforms announced by Home Secretary John Reid aim to put the rights of victims ahead of those of offenders. GRANTING jail discounts to offenders who plead guilty and offering early parole to prisoners on life sentences have raised hackles on both sides of the prison debate ever since their introduction several years ago. As the prison population climbed, penal reformers insisted that the policy did nothing to tackle overcrowding levels, now at crisis point.And victims' charities were outraged by the concept that the murderer of a loved one could earn a "discount" on their sentence if they held up their hands for the crime. The debate is deeply polarised and public and policy-making opinion remains sharply divided over the purpose of our prison system. Is it designed for protection or reform? So perhaps inevitably Home Secretary John Reid's announcement, bringing an end to both policies as part of a range of reforms, has failed to fully satisfy campaigners at either end of the spectrum."
SOCIETY, SOCIAL MEDIA, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE< GOVERNMENT>JUSTICE - a selective newsfeed
society
Sunday, July 23, 2006
New York State CIO Discusses the State's Strategic Initiatives and the Impending Change of Administration / GovTech, 19 Jul 2006
http://www.govtech.net/news/news.php?id=100257
Wayne Hanson
"In early July, New York State released its IT Strategic Plan for 2006. The 36-page document contains a long list of enterprise-level projects, including a statewide wireless system for first responders, data center and server consolidation, statewide financial management system, VoIP telephony, best-value procurement and more. Several of the projects are secured. A new data center, for example, was fully funded by the Legislature. Some projects, such as VoIP telephony, are in the research phase, but other projects -- such as the statewide wireless system -- are long-term efforts with years to go before completion."
Wayne Hanson
"In early July, New York State released its IT Strategic Plan for 2006. The 36-page document contains a long list of enterprise-level projects, including a statewide wireless system for first responders, data center and server consolidation, statewide financial management system, VoIP telephony, best-value procurement and more. Several of the projects are secured. A new data center, for example, was fully funded by the Legislature. Some projects, such as VoIP telephony, are in the research phase, but other projects -- such as the statewide wireless system -- are long-term efforts with years to go before completion."
Listening to the streets / This is Local London, 21 Jul 2006
http://digbig.com/4mbpt
Richard Lyons
"Cheam Safer Neighbourhood Team is at the forefront of a new type of policing which puts officers at the heart of the community."
Richard Lyons
"Cheam Safer Neighbourhood Team is at the forefront of a new type of policing which puts officers at the heart of the community."
Lessons of McKie case seen south of border / Herald, 20 Jul 2006
http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/66265.html
ROBBIE DINWOODIE,
"The lessons of the Shirley McKie case are already being taken on board by the fingerprint service south of the border. In response to a question from the SNP leader, Alex Salmond, Home Office minister Joan Ryan revealed that the National Fingerprint Board in England and Wales had issued a guidance document about learning from the McKie saga in Scotland."
ROBBIE DINWOODIE,
"The lessons of the Shirley McKie case are already being taken on board by the fingerprint service south of the border. In response to a question from the SNP leader, Alex Salmond, Home Office minister Joan Ryan revealed that the National Fingerprint Board in England and Wales had issued a guidance document about learning from the McKie saga in Scotland."
Lack of conviction? / Law Gazette, 20 July 2006
http://digbig.com/4mbpr
Kate Hanley
"The number of rape allegations ending in a guilty verdict is at an all-time low, despite much investment in policing and victim care. But there is no quick-fix solution. As statistics go, they are shocking. The conviction rate for rape in England and Wales is just 5.3% – an all-time low. In the 12 months to March 2005, a total of 13,322 reports of rape were made to police, but only 702 resulted in conviction. That is just one in 20, compared with one in three in the 1980s. This is despite endless tinkering with the legislation, the retraining of police officers, investment in the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), the introduction of highly-praised sexual assault referral centres and specialist panels for prosecutors, judges and medical experts. What is going wrong?"
Kate Hanley
"The number of rape allegations ending in a guilty verdict is at an all-time low, despite much investment in policing and victim care. But there is no quick-fix solution. As statistics go, they are shocking. The conviction rate for rape in England and Wales is just 5.3% – an all-time low. In the 12 months to March 2005, a total of 13,322 reports of rape were made to police, but only 702 resulted in conviction. That is just one in 20, compared with one in three in the 1980s. This is despite endless tinkering with the legislation, the retraining of police officers, investment in the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), the introduction of highly-praised sexual assault referral centres and specialist panels for prosecutors, judges and medical experts. What is going wrong?"
UK judge bans media from Aljazeera bombing memo leak trial / Jurist PaperChase, 19 Jul 2006
http://digbig.com/4mbpq
Jaime Jansen
"A British judge has ruled that the parts of the upcoming UK state secrets trial relating to an alleged memo detailing a conversation between US President George Bush and UK Prime Minister Tony Blair describing plans to bomb satellite news channel Aljazeera cannot be disclosed to the public."
Jaime Jansen
"A British judge has ruled that the parts of the upcoming UK state secrets trial relating to an alleged memo detailing a conversation between US President George Bush and UK Prime Minister Tony Blair describing plans to bomb satellite news channel Aljazeera cannot be disclosed to the public."
UK criminal justice review calls for tougher sentencing rules, more rights for victims / Jurist PaperChase,
http://digbig.com/4mbpp
Joshua Pantesco
"Responding to recent controversy over UK sentencing guidelines and following up on a major June policy address by Prime Minister Tony Blair, Home Secretary John Reid [official profile] released a criminal justice system review [ summary] making several recommendations aimed at putting the rights of victims before the rights of criminals. To strengthen sentencing procedure, the Home Office recommended ending automatic sentence reductions in exchange for guilty pleas, ending automatic parole consideration rights for life prisoners, requiring unanimous parole board votes to release prisoners, and deporting more foreign citizens to serve sentences in their home countries. To give victims a stronger voice in the process, the Home Office is recommending that parole board members dealing with violent or sexual offenders have personal experience with such crimes, that victims be allowed to speak at such hearings, and that prosecutors always consider the interests of the victim when prosecuting. The Home Office also announced plans to construct 8,000 additional prison cells."
Joshua Pantesco
"Responding to recent controversy over UK sentencing guidelines and following up on a major June policy address by Prime Minister Tony Blair, Home Secretary John Reid [official profile] released a criminal justice system review [ summary] making several recommendations aimed at putting the rights of victims before the rights of criminals. To strengthen sentencing procedure, the Home Office recommended ending automatic sentence reductions in exchange for guilty pleas, ending automatic parole consideration rights for life prisoners, requiring unanimous parole board votes to release prisoners, and deporting more foreign citizens to serve sentences in their home countries. To give victims a stronger voice in the process, the Home Office is recommending that parole board members dealing with violent or sexual offenders have personal experience with such crimes, that victims be allowed to speak at such hearings, and that prosecutors always consider the interests of the victim when prosecuting. The Home Office also announced plans to construct 8,000 additional prison cells."
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