Youth Justice Board says half of under-18s facing riot charges had no previous contact with criminal justice system The influx of child prisoners accused of involvement in last month’s looting and rioting has contributed to an 8% increase in the juvenile prison population in England and Wales. That calculation is based on Youth Justice Board (YJB) figures which show 170 riot offenders aged under 18 are now in custody, adding to the 2,075 child prisoners recorded in June, the latest statistics available. A Ministry of Justice report out on Thursday suggests a lower tally; it says there are 125 juveniles behind bars for riot offences, with 21 sentenced and 104 on remand. The Guardian has learned that two-fifths of children in custody have had no previous connection with youth offending teams – a marker of criminal behaviour which resulted in a court order. The YJB, which has responsibility for the administration of youth justice in England and Wales, says that half of under-18s brought in front of the courts on charges of rioting and looting last month were completely unknown to the criminal justice system and only 10-15% of juvenile rioters had any sort of gang affiliation. The statistics on minors, who comprise 20% of all those convicted of riot offences, undermine claims from justice minister Kenneth Clarke that the riots were caused by a hardcore criminal underclass . Campaigners have warned the sudden rise in the number of children in jail was a possible breach of the UK’s commitment to protect children’s rights. Article 37 in the UN convention states that custody should only be used “as a last resort”. Andrew Neilson, assistant director at the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: “We were very concerned that there was a rush to custody. Normally young people would be recognised as vulnerable and different and that would be reflected… and that wasn’t happening. It’s been a one-size-fits-all approach. “Pushing someone from no contact at all to a youth offending institute, which is the deep end is a very risky thing [and]… this is one of the most disproportionate impacts of the riot sentencing” “The overuse of remand and some of the sentencing certainly puts in doubt the government’s claims that child custody is used as a last resort.” John Drew, the chief executive of the YJB, said there was a crisis in young offenders’ institutions (YOIs) because of the sudden spike in the prison population. Offenders, especially in London, have had to share cells or have been moved to prisons hundreds of miles away from home. He said one of the YJB’s biggest concerns was the threat of violence against naive entrants to the prison system. Therefore, all those on riot sentences have been categorised as vulnerable, a measure normally reserved for a small minority. “We’ve suddenly gained 80 or so youngsters who have not been anywhere near the criminal justice system before,” Drew said. “They go into custody and there all sorts of codes and ways of getting through a sentence that is alien to them. So the establishments have treated them all as vulnerable and have responded to try to help them understand what is expected of them from prison officers and what may or may not be acceptable in terms of how the other inmates will expect from them. But inevitably it’s a new mixture… It’s a real challenge to our staff.” Drew said he knew of a “couple of instances” of violence involving new entrants. An incident in Cookham Wood young offenders institute left two children in hospital. A report sent to the Guardian by the Howard League for Penal Reform, suggested that turf wars had broken out in one YOI. The summary of a phone conversation with a young offender reported by a solicitor working with the Howard League read: “Prisoners who were involved in the riots have been advised to walk around in pairs and to not be out in the landing on their own. Other prisoners are saying that the rioters have ‘destroyed their turf’ and beatings have been going on all day. It was difficult to hear on the telephone as screaming and shouting could be heard in the background.” In a major speech a week after riots , David Cameron announced he would declare “a concerted, all-out war on gangs and gang culture” which he believed were the root cause of the looting and destruction of property across English cities. In interview at the YJB’s Pimlico offices, Drew clashed with home secretary Theresa May, warning that any relaxation in the strict anonymity rules governing the identification of young offenders would only allow young offenders to revel in their criminal status. A week after the riots, May said the Crown Prosecution Service”should be asking for the anonymity of juveniles who are found guilty of criminal activity to be lifted”. Drew believed that May was “responding to a public appetite” but that it was right that the lifting of anonymity remained “very rare”. “I started my working life with young offenders and the kids were crying out to be told they were young villains because they got status from that. Take that status away from them, try and treat them in a different way is probably the single most effective thing to do,” he said. Drew admitted that the situation with overcrowding was not ideal: “It’s a real dilemma and it is essentially about cost. We now have 2,150 under 18s in custody. In a perfect world, you would have a small YOI in every town.” “When you get an incident like this with a particular focus in London, it’s inevitable you’re going to get congestion. So, in the immediate aftermath, we had to move some children north. We tended to move kids who were on a sentence in order to make room for those remanded. But there’s no secret in that, we did have to move kids around. It is simply about supply and demand and our capacity to afford the ideal.” Youth justice Young people UK criminal justice UK riots Prisons and probation Crime Shiv Malik guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Youth Justice Board says half of under-18s facing riot charges had no previous contact with criminal justice system The influx of child prisoners accused of involvement in last month’s looting and rioting has contributed to an 8% increase in the juvenile prison population in England and Wales. That calculation is based on Youth Justice Board (YJB) figures which show 170 riot offenders aged under 18 are now in custody, adding to the 2,075 child prisoners recorded in June, the latest statistics available. A Ministry of Justice report out on Thursday suggests a lower tally; it says there are 125 juveniles behind bars for riot offences, with 21 sentenced and 104 on remand. The Guardian has learned that two-fifths of children in custody have had no previous connection with youth offending teams – a marker of criminal behaviour which resulted in a court order. The YJB, which has responsibility for the administration of youth justice in England and Wales, says that half of under-18s brought in front of the courts on charges of rioting and looting last month were completely unknown to the criminal justice system and only 10-15% of juvenile rioters had any sort of gang affiliation. The statistics on minors, who comprise 20% of all those convicted of riot offences, undermine claims from justice minister Kenneth Clarke that the riots were caused by a hardcore criminal underclass . Campaigners have warned the sudden rise in the number of children in jail was a possible breach of the UK’s commitment to protect children’s rights. Article 37 in the UN convention states that custody should only be used “as a last resort”. Andrew Neilson, assistant director at the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: “We were very concerned that there was a rush to custody. Normally young people would be recognised as vulnerable and different and that would be reflected… and that wasn’t happening. It’s been a one-size-fits-all approach. “Pushing someone from no contact at all to a youth offending institute, which is the deep end is a very risky thing [and]… this is one of the most disproportionate impacts of the riot sentencing” “The overuse of remand and some of the sentencing certainly puts in doubt the government’s claims that child custody is used as a last resort.” John Drew, the chief executive of the YJB, said there was a crisis in young offenders’ institutions (YOIs) because of the sudden spike in the prison population. Offenders, especially in London, have had to share cells or have been moved to prisons hundreds of miles away from home. He said one of the YJB’s biggest concerns was the threat of violence against naive entrants to the prison system. Therefore, all those on riot sentences have been categorised as vulnerable, a measure normally reserved for a small minority. “We’ve suddenly gained 80 or so youngsters who have not been anywhere near the criminal justice system before,” Drew said. “They go into custody and there all sorts of codes and ways of getting through a sentence that is alien to them. So the establishments have treated them all as vulnerable and have responded to try to help them understand what is expected of them from prison officers and what may or may not be acceptable in terms of how the other inmates will expect from them. But inevitably it’s a new mixture… It’s a real challenge to our staff.” Drew said he knew of a “couple of instances” of violence involving new entrants. An incident in Cookham Wood young offenders institute left two children in hospital. A report sent to the Guardian by the Howard League for Penal Reform, suggested that turf wars had broken out in one YOI. The summary of a phone conversation with a young offender reported by a solicitor working with the Howard League read: “Prisoners who were involved in the riots have been advised to walk around in pairs and to not be out in the landing on their own. Other prisoners are saying that the rioters have ‘destroyed their turf’ and beatings have been going on all day. It was difficult to hear on the telephone as screaming and shouting could be heard in the background.” In a major speech a week after riots , David Cameron announced he would declare “a concerted, all-out war on gangs and gang culture” which he believed were the root cause of the looting and destruction of property across English cities. In interview at the YJB’s Pimlico offices, Drew clashed with home secretary Theresa May, warning that any relaxation in the strict anonymity rules governing the identification of young offenders would only allow young offenders to revel in their criminal status. A week after the riots, May said the Crown Prosecution Service”should be asking for the anonymity of juveniles who are found guilty of criminal activity to be lifted”. Drew believed that May was “responding to a public appetite” but that it was right that the lifting of anonymity remained “very rare”. “I started my working life with young offenders and the kids were crying out to be told they were young villains because they got status from that. Take that status away from them, try and treat them in a different way is probably the single most effective thing to do,” he said. Drew admitted that the situation with overcrowding was not ideal: “It’s a real dilemma and it is essentially about cost. We now have 2,150 under 18s in custody. In a perfect world, you would have a small YOI in every town.” “When you get an incident like this with a particular focus in London, it’s inevitable you’re going to get congestion. So, in the immediate aftermath, we had to move some children north. We tended to move kids who were on a sentence in order to make room for those remanded. But there’s no secret in that, we did have to move kids around. It is simply about supply and demand and our capacity to afford the ideal.” Youth justice Young people UK criminal justice UK riots Prisons and probation Crime Shiv Malik guardian.co.uk
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Multibillion-dollar jobs plan faces stiff opposition from Republicans who are already branding it a re-election gimmick Republicans have signalled their opposition to Barack Obama’s multibillion dollar jobs plan, even before he was due to unveil it in a crucial speech to a joint session of Congress. Republican members of Congress said on Thursday morning that, based on leaks to the media, there was nothing new in the speech, which would be just a rehash of proposals Obama has put forward since his days on the campaign trail in 2008. Some Republican members even announced publicly they intend to boycott the speech, a rare snub for a sitting president. The Republican leader in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, dismissed Obama’s jobs plans as retreads. “What is surprising is the president’s apparent determination to apply the same government-driven policies that have already been tried and failed,” he said in a speech to the Senate. ‘”The definition of insanity, as Albert Einstein once famously put it, is to do the same thing over and over again and expect a different result. Frankly, I can’t think of a better description of anyone who thinks the solution to this problem is another stimulus. The first stimulus didn’t do it. Why would another one?” He added: “This isn’t a jobs plan. It’s a re-election plan.” Obama’s proposals, which will cost at least $300bn, include about $100bn in spending on construction of roads, bridges and other huge infrastructure projects as well as extra cash for states to prevent teachers, police and others being laid off. He is also proposing an extension of a payroll tax cut due to expire at the end of the year, an extension of unemployment benefit, and more training and subsidies for the long-term unemployed. The jobs plan is part of Obama’s attempt to reverse a rapid drop in the polls because of the 9.1% unemployment rate, up from the 7.8% when he took office in January 2009. A Gallup poll this week gave the president an approval rating of only 42%, perilously low for a president seeking re-election next year. Even though speeches by a president to a joint session of Congress are relatively rare, such is the polarisation in Washington that many Republicans said they intended to boycott it rather than participate in what they see as an election gimmick. The Republican Speaker, John Boehner, at a press conference in Congress on Thursday, urged his House colleagues not to mount a boycott, saying it would be disrespectful of the president. But Republican congressman Joe Walsh said speeches by the president at joint sessions of Congress should be saved for special occasions. It was time for action, not speeches. “You can’t lead this country by speeches,” Walsh said in an interview with CNN. The unhappiness of many Republicans is shared on the other side, with Democrats regarding Obama’s proposals as too timid and seeking a much more ambitious stimulus package. Fourteen million Americans are out of work, according to official figures . Almost all of Obama’s plans require congressional approval and he is to send the proposals to the Hill next week, setting up a third major clash with Republicans this year. A standoff between Republicans and the White House before the summer recess over the debt crisis left Washington paralysed for weeks, while earlier this year Republicans threatened to close down the federal government. House Republicans, reluctant to be cast as the villains, were in public unwilling to dismiss Obama’s plans out of hand. Boehner, at the press conference, said: “I’m hopeful that after the president gives his speech that we’ll be able to sit down, in a bipartisan way, and find common ground that will help improve our economy, and improve the job picture for the American people.” But behind the scenes, House Republicans, who voted against Obama’s first stimulus package and see little reason to vote for a second, were sceptical. A Republican congressional source said that if the president had been genuine about seeking a bipartisan approach he would have consulted them beforehand. The source said Boehner had written to the White House asking for a meeting this week but had not received a reply. If, as the White House expects, the Republicans boycott his speech, Obama is planning to go out on the road in the months ahead portraying his opponents as obstructionist. The president is to hold the first of a series of meetings on jobs in Richmond, Virginia, on Friday. Barack Obama Republicans US economy US elections 2012 United States Ewen MacAskill guardian.co.uk
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Multibillion-dollar jobs plan faces stiff opposition from Republicans who are already branding it a re-election gimmick Republicans have signalled their opposition to Barack Obama’s multibillion dollar jobs plan, even before he was due to unveil it in a crucial speech to a joint session of Congress. Republican members of Congress said on Thursday morning that, based on leaks to the media, there was nothing new in the speech, which would be just a rehash of proposals Obama has put forward since his days on the campaign trail in 2008. Some Republican members even announced publicly they intend to boycott the speech, a rare snub for a sitting president. The Republican leader in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, dismissed Obama’s jobs plans as retreads. “What is surprising is the president’s apparent determination to apply the same government-driven policies that have already been tried and failed,” he said in a speech to the Senate. ‘”The definition of insanity, as Albert Einstein once famously put it, is to do the same thing over and over again and expect a different result. Frankly, I can’t think of a better description of anyone who thinks the solution to this problem is another stimulus. The first stimulus didn’t do it. Why would another one?” He added: “This isn’t a jobs plan. It’s a re-election plan.” Obama’s proposals, which will cost at least $300bn, include about $100bn in spending on construction of roads, bridges and other huge infrastructure projects as well as extra cash for states to prevent teachers, police and others being laid off. He is also proposing an extension of a payroll tax cut due to expire at the end of the year, an extension of unemployment benefit, and more training and subsidies for the long-term unemployed. The jobs plan is part of Obama’s attempt to reverse a rapid drop in the polls because of the 9.1% unemployment rate, up from the 7.8% when he took office in January 2009. A Gallup poll this week gave the president an approval rating of only 42%, perilously low for a president seeking re-election next year. Even though speeches by a president to a joint session of Congress are relatively rare, such is the polarisation in Washington that many Republicans said they intended to boycott it rather than participate in what they see as an election gimmick. The Republican Speaker, John Boehner, at a press conference in Congress on Thursday, urged his House colleagues not to mount a boycott, saying it would be disrespectful of the president. But Republican congressman Joe Walsh said speeches by the president at joint sessions of Congress should be saved for special occasions. It was time for action, not speeches. “You can’t lead this country by speeches,” Walsh said in an interview with CNN. The unhappiness of many Republicans is shared on the other side, with Democrats regarding Obama’s proposals as too timid and seeking a much more ambitious stimulus package. Fourteen million Americans are out of work, according to official figures . Almost all of Obama’s plans require congressional approval and he is to send the proposals to the Hill next week, setting up a third major clash with Republicans this year. A standoff between Republicans and the White House before the summer recess over the debt crisis left Washington paralysed for weeks, while earlier this year Republicans threatened to close down the federal government. House Republicans, reluctant to be cast as the villains, were in public unwilling to dismiss Obama’s plans out of hand. Boehner, at the press conference, said: “I’m hopeful that after the president gives his speech that we’ll be able to sit down, in a bipartisan way, and find common ground that will help improve our economy, and improve the job picture for the American people.” But behind the scenes, House Republicans, who voted against Obama’s first stimulus package and see little reason to vote for a second, were sceptical. A Republican congressional source said that if the president had been genuine about seeking a bipartisan approach he would have consulted them beforehand. The source said Boehner had written to the White House asking for a meeting this week but had not received a reply. If, as the White House expects, the Republicans boycott his speech, Obama is planning to go out on the road in the months ahead portraying his opponents as obstructionist. The president is to hold the first of a series of meetings on jobs in Richmond, Virginia, on Friday. Barack Obama Republicans US economy US elections 2012 United States Ewen MacAskill guardian.co.uk
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As the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee drop heavy rain across the Northeast, people from Maryland to Pennsylvania shake their heads at how much water is rushing by and how fast it has risen in some spots. (Sept. 8)
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As the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee drop heavy rain across the Northeast, people from Maryland to Pennsylvania shake their heads at how much water is rushing by and how fast it has risen in some spots. (Sept. 8)
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Aufruf_zum_Besuch_der_Teubnerausstellung_ und_Eröffnung.MP4 Ausstellung “200 Jahre BGTeubner”: Das Schulbuch im Dritten Reich MyLife 2.0 Jaymie Pizzaro TheRealSKiDD says: lolzz….. Never knew yu waz online.. Gudd Day Boss!!! Yu Base In PH ?? RT @ Akeemdabeat : @ TheRealSKiDD am doing very fyn bro and u?
Continue reading …Texas Show Down at GOP Debate: During a Commercial Perry Wags Finger in Paul’s Face
September 8, 2011 No Comment
enlarge At last night’s debate, it seems there was a bit of a mostly-verbal confrontation between Ron Paul and Rick Perry during a commercial break, which the Ron Paul people are in full-throated protest over. Via Mediaite : According to Paul fansite RonPaul.com , here’s how it went down: During a commercial break at Wednesday’s Republican debate, Rick Perry and Ron Paul continued their spirited exchange on stage. Suddenly, Perry grabbed Ron Paul’s forearm while aggressively pointing his index finger towards the Congressman’s face. Alerted by Perry’s menacing gestures, Ron Paul’s bodyguard (front left) was standing by, ready to protect the Congressman. While it looks like it may have been a heated verbal exchange, I think it may be a tiny bit of hyperbole to call it “menacing.” Whatever happened in that moment, rest assured there was no space between the media and the candidates, and if anything had happened that was remotely interesting, someone would have heard it. I know this because I had hoped to be able to stay in the main debate room just a bit longer than five minutes, and try and capture some of those off-camera moments. It would have been simple enough to do, had I been allowed to stay, but alas, I didn’t have the right credentials and there were more cameras, reporters and other people in that room who did have them than you could shake a Texas-sized stick at. Nevertheless, I was able to capture some of my own “caption this” images in the time I was there. I was in the main debate room for about five minutes when the candidates came out to the stage and were introduced. First Cain and Huntsman, then Paul, Perry and Romney. I caught this rather interesting picture of the three of them together. enlarge Credit: Karoli Doesn’t Perry look like he just ate raw meat for dinner? All snarly and ready to go, he was. Romney looked a little surprised he was standing there, and I guess Ron Paul was looking down for his bodyguard? Or maybe he was just talking to someone down in front. Here’s John Huntsman and Herman Cain, looking reverent: enlarge Credit: Karoli There was a long pause — and I DO mean long — before Michele Bachmann made her entrance. She seems to have a thing for making delayed entrances, and yesterday was no exception. But finally she came onstage, with Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum following behind. How about these two as a Republican ticket? enlarge Credit: Karoli Seems like Bachmann is a little more relaxed with Newt than she is with Romney. She has just a little bit of a gritted-teeth-wildeyed-fiery stare in this one. enlarge Credit: Karoli In all of these pictures, some of the candidates seem to be missing something. That’s right. A FLAG PIN . Who are these unpatriotic pretenders who think they can get away with showing up at the shrine of Republican politics without a flag pin? How dare Rick Perry wear a pin that puts the Texas star on TOP of the American flag? I’ll bet those flag pin slackers don’t say the pledge of allegiance, either. When will the mainstream media ask them about it? When will we know the truth?
Continue reading …Texas Show Down at GOP Debate: During a Commercial Perry Wags Finger in Paul’s Face
September 8, 2011 No Commentenlarge At last night’s debate, it seems there was a bit of a mostly-verbal confrontation between Ron Paul and Rick Perry during a commercial break, which the Ron Paul people are in full-throated protest over. Via Mediaite : According to Paul fansite RonPaul.com , here’s how it went down: During a commercial break at Wednesday’s Republican debate, Rick Perry and Ron Paul continued their spirited exchange on stage. Suddenly, Perry grabbed Ron Paul’s forearm while aggressively pointing his index finger towards the Congressman’s face. Alerted by Perry’s menacing gestures, Ron Paul’s bodyguard (front left) was standing by, ready to protect the Congressman. While it looks like it may have been a heated verbal exchange, I think it may be a tiny bit of hyperbole to call it “menacing.” Whatever happened in that moment, rest assured there was no space between the media and the candidates, and if anything had happened that was remotely interesting, someone would have heard it. I know this because I had hoped to be able to stay in the main debate room just a bit longer than five minutes, and try and capture some of those off-camera moments. It would have been simple enough to do, had I been allowed to stay, but alas, I didn’t have the right credentials and there were more cameras, reporters and other people in that room who did have them than you could shake a Texas-sized stick at. Nevertheless, I was able to capture some of my own “caption this” images in the time I was there. I was in the main debate room for about five minutes when the candidates came out to the stage and were introduced. First Cain and Huntsman, then Paul, Perry and Romney. I caught this rather interesting picture of the three of them together. enlarge Credit: Karoli Doesn’t Perry look like he just ate raw meat for dinner? All snarly and ready to go, he was. Romney looked a little surprised he was standing there, and I guess Ron Paul was looking down for his bodyguard? Or maybe he was just talking to someone down in front. Here’s John Huntsman and Herman Cain, looking reverent: enlarge Credit: Karoli There was a long pause — and I DO mean long — before Michele Bachmann made her entrance. She seems to have a thing for making delayed entrances, and yesterday was no exception. But finally she came onstage, with Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum following behind. How about these two as a Republican ticket? enlarge Credit: Karoli Seems like Bachmann is a little more relaxed with Newt than she is with Romney. She has just a little bit of a gritted-teeth-wildeyed-fiery stare in this one. enlarge Credit: Karoli In all of these pictures, some of the candidates seem to be missing something. That’s right. A FLAG PIN . Who are these unpatriotic pretenders who think they can get away with showing up at the shrine of Republican politics without a flag pin? How dare Rick Perry wear a pin that puts the Texas star on TOP of the American flag? I’ll bet those flag pin slackers don’t say the pledge of allegiance, either. When will the mainstream media ask them about it? When will we know the truth?
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BEIRUT – Syrian security forces kept up a deadly crackdown on dissent Thursday as the embattled regime faced surprising calls to end the violence from its closest ally, Iran, in a sign of growing alarm over the 6-month-old uprising. In a live interview in Teheran, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Syrian President Bashar Assad should back away from his violent crackdown and talk to the opposition. ‘There should be talks’ between the Syrian government and its opponents, Ahmadinejad told Portuguese broadcaster Radiotelevisao Portuguesa late…
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