The Curmudgeon

YOU'LL COME FOR THE CURSES. YOU'LL STAY FOR THE MUDGEONRY.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Not Necessarily Traumatic

The Government's proud and noble record of child imprisonment has been highlighted once more, this time in a report by the Children's Commissioner which indicates the extent to which taxpayers' money is not being wasted on luxuries for potentially failed asylum seekers. Children's psychological well-being is not assessed "even at an elementary level" once they and their parents have been dawn-raided, indefinitely jailed and sometimes separated, and toddlers with broken bones can expect to wait fifteen hours for examination and a further five for treatment. The UK Border Agency's chief bouncer does not believe that detention is "necessarily traumatic" for children, since asylum seekers are a tough lot and there has been some effort to turn some of the prisons into nicer prisons; but he did admit that arrest might not be altogether a wonderful experience, which doubtless explains why he does not consider it necessary for every child to receive psychological assessment after being arrested.

No singers, sportsbeings or other persons of cultural significance were involved. Accordingly, the Children's Minister had nothing to say; the shadow Children's Minister had nothing to say, even about how much tougher-but-fairer the system will be under Daveybloke's Cuddly Conservatives; and the Liberal Democrats agreed with both of them.

2 Comments:

  • At 11:46 pm , Anonymous Madame X said...

    Once in custody, you might as well become invisible for all the care our otherwise sanctimonious society demonstrates. I'm always amazed at the hardheartedness displayed towards those trapped in this netherworld.

     
  • At 11:23 am , Blogger Philip said...

    Invisible? On the contrary, being put in prison is a golden opportunity to be blown up to monstrous size and given horns, claws and fangs. Mere harmlessness (or, in the case of most actual criminals, mere bad luck and incompetence) would mean that the all-important element of punishment would lose some of its charm.

     

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