. This essay, on the cruelty of “Imprisonment for Public Protection” and what it tells us about social policy, was my Observer column. It was published on 6 December 2020, under the headline “Our leaders can’t preach respect and treat the vulnerable with contempt”. “My family were going, ‘Why are you not out? They can’t give you a 13-month sentence and keep you in there for ever!’” Oh, but they can. And not just in China or Saudi Arabia, but in Britain, […]

Categories: Britain, Justice & Liberties, Politics • Tags: antisocial behaviour, asbos, david blunkett, hostile environment, imprisonment for public protection, inequality, ipp, new labour, prisons, respect, respect agenda, richard sennett, tony blair