Is this how messed up a society we live in?

CDR · 20-03-2007, 5:01 PM

An old friend in Canada just emailed me this link at BBCNews and asked what sort of country its became since he emigrated.

Quote:

Three men who spent years in jail after being wrongly convicted of murder will have to pay for their prison board and lodgings, Law Lords have ruled.

"oops you were put in jail for 11 years here is cash, by the way you owe us now for room & board"
how messed up is that. I'm slowly getting more into the idea of leaving this country myself..

Main Story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/w...ds/6449495.stm

PaleRider1975 · 20-03-2007, 5:10 PM

All I can say on that is it's absolutley disgusting they're having to pay for being wrongly imprisoned, but with the courts seemingly getting more lenient towards crime is it really a surprise.

stealther · 20-03-2007, 5:19 PM

Yet actual criminals are not asked to pay for there keep once they rejoin society? Got to love this country just keep smiling and taking it like we always do.

johntheexpat · 20-03-2007, 5:27 PM

It will just end up as more dosh for the lawyers (as usual). The innocent parties will undoubtedly put in a claim for damages and add the cost of B&B onto the claim, and then the lawyers will have extra ammunition to argue about and the process will last longer. Any money recovered by the state will be more than covered by extra fees. Same old same old really, just another way for the lawyers and accoutants and Civil Servants to earn a living off the rest of us.

overkill · 20-03-2007, 5:39 PM

It doesn't surprise me. Bearing in mind it's only fairly recently that compensation for wrongful imprisonment was paid out at all. Remember, neither the Police nor the legal system, from talking to Police officers, ever accept that these people are really innocent anyway. Their view is they got the right 'man' and that the 'system' has let them down by releasing them.

As for how 'lenient' our system is, it's funny how people make this complaint but never stop to check whether the tariffs are in fact 'lenient'. Three judgements from today alone suggest otherwise. But hey, why spoil a good theory with the the facts..............

PaleRider1975 · 20-03-2007, 5:56 PM

Overkill if you read my post again you'll note I said "but with the courts seemingly getting more lenient towards crime " not necessarily that they are. There are a few Judges out there who are tough on crime but unfortunatley there are also plenty who are not.

plasmad00d · 20-03-2007, 6:26 PM

Thier orginal payout was calculated on the basis that 25% of it would need to be deducted to pay back the prison service. This was made quite clear at the time of the award. If there wasn't a need for them to pay back the money then the orginal payout would have been 25% less.

Matt_C · 20-03-2007, 8:17 PM

Yes but WHY do they have to "pay back"the prison service? If you are wrongly imprisoned for a crime you did not commit, and it was proved you did not commit this crime, why in the hell should you pay for the "privilage" of being in prison for 18yrs when it wasn't your fault? I mean, it's not like they CHOSE to be in prison was it? Why should you basically pay rent for being wrongly imprisoned?

**IronGiant** · 20-03-2007, 8:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by plasmad00d

Thier orginal payout was calculated on the basis that 25% of it would need to be deducted to pay back the prison service. This was made quite clear at the time of the award. If there wasn't a need for them to pay back the money then the orginal payout would have been 25% less.

That was my understanding of the situation.

pringtef · 21-03-2007, 2:20 PM

One wonders if the room and board charges change between peak and off peak seasons.......

OK, i'll fetch my coat!

overkill · 21-03-2007, 4:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PaleRider1975

Overkill if you read my post again you'll note I said "but with the courts seemingly getting more lenient towards crime " not necessarily that they are. There are a few Judges out there who are tough on crime but unfortunatley there are also plenty who are not.

........but you ended with "is it really a surprise" which alters the context totally and makes no suggestion that some judges are not 'necessarily' soft on crime.

Besides there is no hard evidence that there are 'plenty' of judges who are 'soft on crime'. Certainly the huge and growing prison population, growing number of successful benefit fraud imprisonments, crackdowns on drug rings, and hard sentences given out to them, suggests otherwise.