Shock! Horror! Prisoner Handcuffed in Jail
I've always admired the Scottish legal system - they seem to dispense justice much more quickly and efficiently than their English and Welsh counterparts.
Even so they don't just hand out custodial sentences on a whim - they're only ever used when the offence is so serious that only a custodial sentence is justified, or when the defendant has refused to accept or comply with the terms of a community sentence.
I read today the story of 21-year-old criminal Donna McLeish. She's just served six-months for assaulting someone in a nightclub. The fact that she received a not insignificant custodial sentence points squarely at the fact there were aggravating factors to her crime. I'll not speculate on what those aggravating factors were, but suffice to say we're not talking about someone who gave another nightclub reveller a swift slap when they accidentally stood on her toes.
McLeish was pregnant when she was banged up at Cornton Vale women's prison in Stirling. According to her she was chained to a guard all the time. This included her regular trips to the shower, toilet and doctor.
McLeish told Sky News: "I'd be talking to the doctors about the details of my condition in front of these strangers. It was really personal stuff and it made me feel so uncomfortable but I still had to be chained to one of the guards."
"I never wanted to be treated differently to anyone else. But I felt they were too harsh. This was my first offence - I'm not a persistent offender and they treated me like my crime had been far, far worse."
Reliance Security, the company operating Cornton Vale, issued a statement saying that they had since reviewed their policy on cuffing pregnant prisoners. They also refute the allegations that McLeish was chained to a guard when she showered or used the toilet.
My thoughts on this - you get dangerous pregnant women in prison too, so the fact that someone's pregnant shouldn't necessarily exclude them from being cuffed. What sort of person thinks so little of their unborn child that they selfishly end up in prison in the first place?
No doubt she'll be on the phone to Ambulance Chasers 'R' Us already. The only saving grace is that she's in Scotland. If she'd been in England or Wales the Home Office would have already rolled over and paid up.
Even so they don't just hand out custodial sentences on a whim - they're only ever used when the offence is so serious that only a custodial sentence is justified, or when the defendant has refused to accept or comply with the terms of a community sentence.
I read today the story of 21-year-old criminal Donna McLeish. She's just served six-months for assaulting someone in a nightclub. The fact that she received a not insignificant custodial sentence points squarely at the fact there were aggravating factors to her crime. I'll not speculate on what those aggravating factors were, but suffice to say we're not talking about someone who gave another nightclub reveller a swift slap when they accidentally stood on her toes.
McLeish was pregnant when she was banged up at Cornton Vale women's prison in Stirling. According to her she was chained to a guard all the time. This included her regular trips to the shower, toilet and doctor.
McLeish told Sky News: "I'd be talking to the doctors about the details of my condition in front of these strangers. It was really personal stuff and it made me feel so uncomfortable but I still had to be chained to one of the guards."
"I never wanted to be treated differently to anyone else. But I felt they were too harsh. This was my first offence - I'm not a persistent offender and they treated me like my crime had been far, far worse."
Reliance Security, the company operating Cornton Vale, issued a statement saying that they had since reviewed their policy on cuffing pregnant prisoners. They also refute the allegations that McLeish was chained to a guard when she showered or used the toilet.
My thoughts on this - you get dangerous pregnant women in prison too, so the fact that someone's pregnant shouldn't necessarily exclude them from being cuffed. What sort of person thinks so little of their unborn child that they selfishly end up in prison in the first place?
No doubt she'll be on the phone to Ambulance Chasers 'R' Us already. The only saving grace is that she's in Scotland. If she'd been in England or Wales the Home Office would have already rolled over and paid up.
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