Originally published at: UK Parliament: judges may compel criminals to attend their sentencing hearings | Boing Boing
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Yeah, that’s the bit that needed fixing fuck you very much.
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It doesn’t add much in the way of justice, but it will add a bit of theatre. The way the news has been reporting it, the lack of presence at the sentencing is somehow worse than the heinous crimes committed, and both major parties are accusing each other of being evil for not fixing it earlier.
None of it brings lives back, undoes damage or corrects wrongs.
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You know what really adds theatre to the judicial system? Public executions that’s what.
They are associated with absolutelynoff the charts murder rates and horrific violence attending even minor property crimes but: theatre! Jazz hands!
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I don’t believe in execution, but this feels like one step closer to it. A testing of the waters, perhaps.
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“… they could face an extra two years in prison. This will apply in cases where the maximum sentence is life imprisonment…”
Okay, I get this one when the final judgement isn’t life. But when it is, what are they going to do when the inmate dies? Put endless resources into resuscitating them, and then make them do two more years?
They have to be in the cells in the court anyway.
The issue should not be whether or not they hear the Judge sentencing them, but that they hear the victim impact statements – there is no reason that shouldn’t be piped through to the cells so no need to bring them to the dock.
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Punishment theater is always easier and more popular than doing anything meaningful.
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They’ll still serve their sentence regardless of if they show up. If their sentence was just for their crime- that’s enough.
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… if only Parliament would pass a law requiring convicts to cry on camera and beg for mercy
and then be punished anyway of course 
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privatized prisoner transport
Ah, G4S. You know a company is bad when they have an entire wikipedia page dedicated to their failures (which is longer than the page on the company itself):
When prisoner transport was first privatised in the UK (thanks Torys), G4S got the contract, and within a week had become a national laughing stock for managing to lose four prisoners. They still have the contract, and still get awarded contracts for everything from border security to the Olympics, purely because they’re basically the only firm in the UK big enough to bid on those contracts, despite fucking up most of them.
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The Govt. are reduced to spitting out nonsense about “Tough new laws” etc as they’ve not the wit, energy or political capital to actually do anything constructive - It’s a slow spiral down the drain until the next election. ( See New Double-Secret-Illegal Knives)
Judges have all the powers they need to manage the courtroom - I’ve dealt with defendants who were incensed they were convicted were making the lives of the custody staff hell whilst saying the most horrendous things to the victims/witnesses and bench - some of these not even custodial sentences (people really don’t like losing their driving licences) It’s usually in everyone’s interests to send them down to the cells (after one chance to apologise) - they’ll get to know the sentence in soon enough - with maybe a little added extra for the contempt of court.
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