The Prison Service in the UK has just been lambasted in an inch thick report by Sir John Learmont resulting from an inquiry into the escape of three maximum security prisoners from Parkhurst Prison in the Isle of Wight.
It appears that appeasement was the name of the management game and the hardened criminals were allowed to shake down their own kind to create their own hierarchy and management structure inside the prison. Drug abuse is rampant and some landings in the prison have become 'no go areas' for staff.
Inmates regarded Parkhurst as a 'gentlemen's club where convicts could lead a life free from supervision and discipline by staff'.
Prisoners enjoyed extensive privileges without any limit on the amount of cash they held creating two classes of prisoner in Parkhurst. When 20 high risk prisoners were moved from the jail they took nearly ú14,000 with them.
This report comes hard on the heels of our Home Secretary, who sacked the Head of the Prison Service in response to the report, telling the Conservative Party faithful at the annual Conference that he was going to instil longer jail sentences and disallow the massive rebates on time actually served.
They may have cheered in Blackpool, but they were barking mad.
British Taxpayer, the short sighted little person who actually goes to work and actually pays taxes, is caught in Morton's Fork. Whatever occurs it's a bummer.
Either a taxpayer accepts the risks of life - mugging, burglary, rape, arson, car theft and the Police's inability to catch the criminals - or has to be prepared to pay huge sums in tax for more criminals to be locked up in prison when they get caught.
The problem is that, in the UK, crime does pay. Somewhere around 7% of criminals actually get caught. Thus the risk of punishment is slight. Those that do come to court can make use of the legal aid system to get them acquitted on some technicality or other. Even if they do go to prison they can run their business in a secure environment at no rent and with minimal if any taxes.
Another factor that is coming into view is the increasing number of children who are staying away from school. Whether through idleness, lack of parental control or fear by a parent of the child being abducted the number is now some 87,000.
Not only are these more mouths for British Taxpayer to feed in the years to come, they are liable to become a legion of Artful Dodgers. The Nanny State has become Fagin.
Some of these youngsters are experts at using the system and the law to their advantage. Often unpunishable because of their age, they have the advantage of speed, size and agility when mugging, burglarising or stealing cars.
These children are suffering from the great turn away from sport in schools which began in the 1970's and reached a peak recently. Nice Mr Major has made an attempt to reverse the trend and get sport back in the timetable. But many schools have sold the play areas and the video game has taken the place of actual activity.
Young people, particularly during immediate pre-pubescence, need to expend physical energy every minute they are awake. Anyone with kids will know the feeling that there is an electric toy with only one speed - fast - loose in the house rather than a child.
This energy needs to be harnessed for good rather than evil and the most beneficial way is through sport. It cultivates hand-eye co-ordination, rule recognition, the ability to live with winning and losing and, who knows, maybe leads to a worthwhile career.
The Parachute Regiment is having to draft in a company of Ghurkas, who are so brave they would willingly jump without parachutes, because army recruits are choosing the softer life of the technical corps.
This demonstrates that despite a headful of Terminator, Judge Dredd, the Muscles from Brussels and the Carling Premiership the lads need to actually get active to get physical.
They can rest assured that, if they are unlucky enough to go to prison, they will be provided with the finest sporting facilities and a video of Escape to Victory.
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