You know you've taken methods for too long when...

[kitty_616]

 ...you're watching the HoC and hear this:

Mr David Nuttall (Bury North) (Con): May we please have a debate on the Ministry of Justice’s 2011 compendium of reoffending statistics and analysis, so that the fact that prison works can be highlighted? The report contains proof that those who serve longer sentences are less likely to reoffend than those

Comments

[polietics]

YUM STATISTICAL TALK.

I sort of follow the Prison Service out of habit (my mum's a civil servant in the Justice Ministry) and any idiot who isn't trying to push policy can tell you the only thing which changes re-offending rates is what you do with the prisoners when they leave prisons.

The NOMS (National Offenders Management System) is being reduced through the budget cuts, but not because Clarke wants to, and drastically reduces re-offending through drug programs, getting people off the street, care services for young children - it's basically brilliant. I mean, I'm biased, but it is.

The fact the service is being cut is probably why statistics are being fudged on prison term length - it's less embarrassing to admit what prisoners need is TLC rather than a life-long kick up the arse.

[kitty_616]

Clearly the idea that reducing re-offending rates saves money is new to them?

Nuttall is of the right-wing hit-prisoners-over-the-head-with-bricks kind of breed though. The idea that prisoners might have any sort of rights or that they might be able to change appears to be new to him. So he might genuinely believe what he said, which worries me.

[kitty_616]

They shouldn't abuse stats though. At best it means they're willing to lie to people based on an ideology, willingly misleading other MPs to push through what they think is an evidence based policy which turns out might not actually work (and actually could be harmful and cost huge amounts of money). At worse it means they're incompetent. Either way leads to large amounts of wasted time and money.

I'm fine with people holding ideologies. For example, brutally murdered everyone who ever commits a crime would reduce re-offending rates like a charm. We don't do it because it's morally bad. There's no point in someone standing up in the HoC and going 'brutal murder of criminals actually means they turn into zombies and terrorise people. I have this number-filled report to prove it'.

...sorry, that was an overly long response.