| Recently a notorious murderer was seriously | | | | the prison service. No doubt there are various |
| assaulted by a fellow prison inmate in a UK jail - it | | | | processes and procedures already in place to support |
| seems that even amongst the prison population | | | | this, but from my point of view they seem |
| there is general revulsion for child killers. Needless to | | | | inadequate. |
| say the public's response was less than sympathetic; | | | | You've probably got me pegged as a bleeding heart |
| many probably feel that the "victim" in this case | | | | liberal by now, but let me assure you I fully support |
| deserves everything he gets and more. But it does | | | | the criminal justice system. Let's remember though |
| raise the question: shouldn't the prison service do | | | | that in a democracy the various agencies of |
| more to protect convicts from each other? | | | | government (in theory) act according to the will of |
| One of the stated purposes of incarceration is to | | | | the people. Therefore it's up to us as ordinary |
| protect the public from dangerous criminals. But with | | | | citizens and voters to ensure that our government is |
| a high concentration of these individuals in the | | | | doing its job properly, because ultimately we have a |
| confines of a prison, those most at risk from further | | | | collective responsibility for everything it does. |
| crimes are other inmates. We should remember that | | | | To those who espouse the view that we should |
| despite their misdeeds, prisoners retain their basic | | | | simply lock criminals up like animals in a cage, to |
| human rights and ordinary citizenship rights, with a | | | | destroy one another, I ask the following: imagine that |
| few notable exceptions (such as the right to vote). | | | | through a confluence of circumstances the one |
| One such basic right is that of bodily integrity, which | | | | ending up in such a situation is a beloved friend or |
| places the responsibility for protecting prisoners from | | | | family member. Wouldn't you then demand protection |
| being assaulted by each other directly at the feet of | | | | for that individual? |