Expert wtnesses challenge

July 10, 2006 in Adults, Children, Mental Health, Youth justice

By Simeon Brody, Maria Ahmed, Derren Hayes and Amy Taylor

Revolt against abolition of jails inspectorate
Former cabinet ministers and a former chief inspector of prisons are threatening a parliamentary revolt against government plans to merge the prisons inspectorate into a wider criminal justice regulator.
Former home secretary Lord Hurd, former Northern Ireland secretary Lord Mayhew and ex-chief inspector Lord Ramsbotham have all criticised the proposals, contained in the Police and Justice Bill, saying they threaten the independence of the current chief inspector’s role.
Source:- The Guardian Saturday 8 July 2006 page 6
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Lies, myths and falsehoods: a day in the life of the BNP’s stronghold
BNP claims about asylum seekers, social housing and crime in the recent council elections in Barking and Dagenham, where it won 11 seats, have been exposed as false, yet many residents continue to believe them.
Source:- The Guardian Saturday 8 July 2006 page 11
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How the vulnerable are victimized to meet targets
Performance indicators on removing failed asylum seekers are spurring officials to target particularly vulnerable people, including children, many of which have strong links to the UK, campaigners have claimed.
They say the target for removals to exceed unfounded claims every month are leading people to pick up people accused of “sham marriages” and those with long histories in the UK.
Source:- The Independent Saturday 8 July 2006 page 2
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Health linked to people’s wealth, study on ageing finds
A study of ageing has found an inverse relationship between wealth and social isolation among older people.
The English Longitudinal Study of Ageing found that the proportion of older people who feel lonely was twice as great in the poorest than the richest group of people studied.
Source:- The Financial Times Saturday 8 July 2006 page 2
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Legal crisis erupts over paedophile sentencing
The Attorney General will reject calls to refer the case of Craig Sweeney, a paedophile who kidnapped and sexually assaulted a three-year-old girl to the Court of Appeal.
Source:- The Observer, Sunday 9 July 2006, page 1
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Home Office opens door to lighter drug penalties
The classification system for illegal drugs should be scrapped, according to a Home Office report proposing a shake-up in how people caught taking them are treated and punished.
Source:- The Observer, Sunday 9 July 2006, page 16
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Happiness lessons for all
Lessons in happiness are to be introduced for 11-year-olds in state schools to combat a huge rise in depression, self-harm and anti-social behaviour.
Source:- The Independent on Sunday, Sunday 9 July 2006, page 1
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Pressure on public sector pay claims
Rising inflation is set to put pressure on pay settlements and compound the government’s difficulties in holding public sector pay down, Income Services, the pay analysts, said.
Source: – The Financial Times, Monday 10 July 2006, page 2
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100 women raped or assaulted in hospital
Women were the victims of more than 100 incidents of rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment in NHS mental health units over two year, according to a confidential report being held by the government.
Source: – The Times, Monday 10 July 2006, page 1 and page 4
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Staff are ‘fleeing Home Office’ as morale collapses
Martin Narey, a former leading civil servant has accused Tony Blair and John Reid of failing to keep talented senior staff and trying to “buy off” the tabloid press.
Source: – The Times, Monday 10 July 2006, page 2
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Cameron defends hoodies
David Cameron will come to the defence of young men in hooded tops today.
Source: – The Times, Monday 10 July 2006, page 2
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Expert witnesses challenge
The Attorney-General will challenge a High Court ruling today that gives expert witnesses such as Sir Roy Meadow immunity from disciplinary proceedings over evidence in court.
Source: – The Times, Monday 10 July 2006, page 2
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60% of NHS trusts admit care failings
Self-assessment reveals widespread inability to meet basic standards
Most NHS trusts in England have admitted they are failing to achieve basic standards of safety and quality of care that all patients are entitled to expect.
Source: – The Guardian, Monday 10 July 2006, page 1
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‘Access to prisoners is a genuine privilege’
Interview with chief inspector of prisons Anne Owers
Source: – The Guardian, G2, Monday 10 July 2006, pages 18-19
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Scottish news

Crackdown on neds sparks fears of more youth courts
Senior figures within the child justice system fear ministers are on the brink of rolling out dedicated youth courts to replace Scotland’s famed children’s panels.
Sources within the children’s justice system are bracing themselves for new “crackdown on neds” ahead of next year’s Scottish elections.
The Scottish executive said it would make an announcement shortly on whether to expand controversial youth court schemes currently being piloted in Airdrie and Hamilton.
Source: The Herald, Monday 10 July,
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Labour plan ‘no children’ contract for drug addicts
Drug addicts will be told not to have children until they kick their habit under a controversial plan being considered for Labour’s election manifesto.
A paper obtained by Scotland on Sunday suggests addicts sign a ‘social contract’ requiring that – in return for benefits, methadone and housing – they agree “not to start a family” and to end their habit.
If addicts agree to the contract but then breach it by having a family they face having their children taken into care, as well as the withdrawal of treatment and benefits.
Source: Scotland on Sunday, 9 July
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Welsh news

Ex-police worker jailed over child-abuse pics
A former employee of a police bureau which is designed to prevent paedophilic activity was imprisoned for having indecent images of children yesterday.
Richard Raikes, 27, of Neath, admitted making, possessing and disseminating images of children at Swansea Crown Court.
Source:- Western Mail, Saturday 8 July 2006
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Barman on sex list groomed girl No 2
A barman “sexually groomed” a 15-year-old Welsh girl while he was on a sex offenders’ programme for doing the same to another girl.
Philip Cheetham, 48, befriended the girl through the internet. When he began communicating with her in October he was on a sex offenders’ rehabilitation programme.
Source:- Western Mail, Saturday 8 July 2006
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Horrifying ‘paedophile’s paradise’
Welsh schools girls are putting themselves at risk of being contacted by paedophiles by putting explicit photos and details of themselves on the internet a Wales on Sunday investigation has found.
A reporter pretended to be a 15-year-old schoolboy and logged into social networking site Bebo where he was easily able to obtain the information.
Source:- Wales on Sunday, 9 July 2006
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Sweeny appeal deadline
The attorney general has until the end of the day to decide whether to refer the case of a paedophile to the Court of Appeal with the aim of getting a tougher sentence.There was a public outcry when Craig Sweeny, who kidnapped and sexually assaulted a three-year-old Welsh girl, was given a life sentence but would be eligible for parole after five years and 108 days.
Source:- Western Mail, Monday 10 July 2006
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