Thursday 24 March 2011

”What are we supposed to use, harsh language?”

The deliberate use of pain to restrain young people in custody should be banned immediately, a report has recommended.
And replaced by…what?

I mean, the study did consider alternative options, didn’t it? Instead of just whining about something?

And who was calling for this anyway?
The views of 89 young people were canvassed for the study by the charity User Voice, which is led by former offenders who work with marginalised groups in the criminal justice system.
Ah. Right. We’re letting the former poachers set the gamekeeper's agenda, are we?
One girl described the use of restraint as "disgusting" while a boy said being restrained had made him feel "helpless".
And nowhere is there anything about what they did to need physical restraint. Nowhere.

Somehow, I doubt it was for nothing.
Mark Johnson, the founder of User Voice, said: "I recognise that members of staff in the secure estate can work with some of the country's most troubled children. However, physical force should only ever be used as a measure of last resort and must be done in the safest possible way."
And maybe that’s exactly how they are using it? And if you are happy to see it used in that event, why the call to ban it?

And the next time some spitting, swearing, punching ‘young offender’ decides to lash out, perhaps you should be summoned from your bed in the middle of the night to deal with it?

2 comments:

Pier of the realm said...

I always thought the last resort was Southend. Sooo, is that where it should be used then?

JuliaM said...

Nah, it's Frinton... ;)