Is change, indeed, even possible? Or are we reduced to eking out small victories and minor concessions, while the penal juggernaut careers on?
As we approach the next General Election, the political debate risks becoming ever more toxic.
Earlier this month, the Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, accused Labour-run councils of failing to act on “gangs of rapists” grooming “vulnerable white girls” for sexual abuse. Labour responded with an advertising campaign claiming, among other things, that the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, opposed imprisonment for adults who sexually assaulted children.
Last week in parliament, Sunak and the Labour leader, Keir Starmer, traded blows on prison and punishment. Convicted criminals were “walking free” from court, said Starmer, thanks to government incompetenc...