Words fail me.
 

This government really has gone too far this time.

A news item this morning revealed that this government would no longer compensate anyone who has been wrongly convicted and sent to prison. Instead the money saved will go to the victims of crime. Excuse me but isn’t the wrongly convicted person a victim too?

Forum etiquette prevents me from expressing my true feelings on this matter – just imagine the worst then double it.

Re: Words fail me.
 

What news programme did you hear it on?

I can't find any details about it.

Re: Words fail me.
 

The news item I heard didn't say the government would no longer compensate victims of miscarriages of justice. What it did say was the amount of compensation would be reduced and the money saved would be directed toward compensating victims of crime.

Re: Words fail me.
 

Re: Words fail me.
 

Moral of the story, never believe what you hear, or what you read until you have all the facts.

You could have done yourself a mischief getting all worked up unnecessarily.:D

Sounds like a good idea to me that victims of crime get more money.

Re: Words fail me.
 

Maybe if the gov got its act together concerning illeagal and immoral money and retrieved that then crime victims could get more money. How can you compensate someone who has spent 15-20 years behind bars when innocent? If it was based on an average salery then they are being short change due to a botched investigation.

Re: Words fail me.
 

JB are you feeling ok it aint like you to have incorrect info prior to a post. :eek: I will believe that the sock of what was suggested got to you. ;)

Re: Words fail me.
 

What I heard in the first place was as I posted. It was the news item that wasn’t correct or rather didn’t give the full facts at that time. It seems to me that even the BBC Radio 2, which is normally reliable in reporting the news factually, cannot be relied upon to do so any more.

However a cap of a measly half a million quid is a fat load of use to someone wrongly banged up for a few years. The bit about giving victims greater access to compensation is to be applauded though.

This rob Peter to pay Paul attitude of this government is becoming more apparent with each passing day.

Re: Words fail me.
 

It is time victims got a better deal criminal elements have had it to easy for too long.

If Auntie cant get the news right what chance do we have?

Re: Words fail me.
 

I did see something along the lines you say.. these sort of posts have come in the past (mainly from members who seem to belive everything in the daily mail is carved in stone) but if true it is not on!.. persons who have been "proved" to be innocent and served jail should get full compensation! can we imagine the devastation? they are also victims

Re: Words fail me.
 

What is full compensation though?

If someone is banged up for ten years, and then they are found to have been innocent, if the capped rate of compensation is half a million pounds that equates to £50,000 for every year they were incarcerated.

Is that a fair amount? It's probably near to what we are told is the national average annual salary. What amount would make you happy if it was you?

This is why I am against the death penalty. On this forum I was shot down by people saying miscarriages happen so infrequently, one or two innocent deaths don't really matter all that much.

Whatever monetary value you put on someone being wrongly locked up, at least they can be somehow compensated, not so if they are six feet under.

If more money could be found from this innitiative for the victims of crime, so much the better.

Re: Words fail me.
 

definately with you on the death penalty garinda... as for compensation, what price is the loss of one's privelages and freedom when innocent never mind loss of wages too!!!???

Re: Words fail me.
 

Re: Words fail me.
 

I know that, I used that as a rather crass example.

I also asked what compensation someone receive if they have been wrongly banged up, say for ten years?

The thing is you can't really put a figure on someone's loss of freedom.

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There lies the crux. How can it be quantified unless bassed on some kind of sliding rule of payments.

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6 yrs on im still waiting £38 from my victim of criminal compensation, the perpretrator only paid £12 of a £50 compensation of the injuries i was given by him!! I wont ever see it now either cos when i rung the court a few years back they said cos the perpretrator got a spell inside for doing something else - the compensation is void & that they wont traced him up for it. Ok not much victims weren't paid an awful lot in compo but the fact that i got it awarded & he was to pay it by order of court but because the criminal was in prison - they cancelled the order.

So after that i have no faith in the criminal injuries board or victim compo because they aint bothered enough to enforce it - but if it was a speeding fine im sure the would definately enforced it & penalities till it was paid up. :(

So basically it balls anyway cos if genuine victims of crime get cast aside for petty cash or nothing then what hope is there for the wrongly convicted:confused:

Re: Words fail me.
 

Lost me then AM how can compo orders be void if they are imprisoned for a different offence? :confused: :confused: It should be no different from any bill. Does that mean if I got 6 months my credit card bills would be void? Yep I doubt it so why should a vic suffer this is the criminals get out clause; ordered to pay £1500 in compo cant be bothered paying so get locked up for 3 months for doing something else and hey presto the compo order has been voided yeha.

DEF NOT RIGHT OR FAIR!!!!!!!!

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Yeh im telling you as it is - honest guv!

Its a bit of another legal red tape i found out from the court enforcement office, i was soooo fuming on the phone because ok £38 may not be a lot but its still not the point i was awarded it so i should of got it all! They spent ages chasing him for the measely £12 he paid but as soon as he got back to prison the wouldnt chase him for it again, but not for non payment & not the original crime of a section 18 but for harrassment of me aka the victim too which he later carried out after being let out.

Having fought through the courts for justice as far as i can see it is all for the defendant & not the victim in any case....just my opinion based on my experiences.