Re: The Home Office has settled out of court
 

Not sure what the law is regarding this situation in the UK, so it is a bit hard to comment on what happened in this instance. Perhaps the Home Office settled out of court for the same reasons many defendents settle? Simply put, they may not have liked their chances in front of a jury!

If a prisoner in the US were denied medical treatment for a condition it would not surprise me to see a lawsuit. Forcing someone to go cold turkey, when there are other, kinder medical choices available, is sadistic. As our US Constitution prohibits cruel and unusual punishment, it would not surprise me to see folks forced to go cold turkey bringing such a lawsuit. Certainly, forcing them to participate in a drug treatment program is permissable as part of their incarceration, but there are more humane choices than cold turkey.

Re: The Home Office has settled out of court
 

Lets see now what have the cons won in court under human rights?

Oh yes heroin/Meths carry on
Slopping out.

Re: The Home Office has settled out of court
 

Re: The Home Office has settled out of court
 

Yes its called the Houses of Parliment State hospital for the Mentally Deficiant.


(apos to any here that are)

Re: The Home Office has settled out of court
 

flippin eck they should be thanking them for getting them off the drugs!!! madness I say, madness!!!!!!!!!!! :mad:

Re: The Home Office has settled out of court
 

At the end of the day it could only happen in this country, when it comes to the rule of law this country must be the laughing stock of the world.

Re: The Home Office has settled out of court
 

Thats why international criminals love this place. Our Septered Isle is now the Septic Isle and will soon be the Gangreen Isle the way things are going. Prison is for punishment not pleasure. Wonder if the home office knows what its doing as these people have now been given a nest egg for drugs when they get out and after its blown will have to start criminal activities to feed it. Brain dead civil servents 0 prison lags 2.

Re: The Home Office has settled out of court
 

It will be the drug dealers next sueing the government for loss of earnings whilst their punters have been inside.
Pathetic!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Re: The Home Office has settled out of court
 

Apparently, prisoners in other European countries like Germany and Sweden do not have the right to this treatment, It seems that they do have here because this wretched government made a ruling in 2002 that prisoners are entitled to the same treatment as ordinary citizens. The end result is that we are going to have shell out around half a million so that those who have robbed, harrassed and attacked us don't suffer too much discomfort. Perhaps, Greg Pope could come on here and explain why this is so. Oh no, sorry, I forgot, New Labour supporters tend to disappear when the questions get awkward.

Re: The Home Office has settled out of court
 

Re: The Home Office has settled out of court
 

Maybe I am a cynic but is anyone else expecting jailed alcoholics to go down the same road?

Re: The Home Office has settled out of court
 

does that mean that people who are going 'cold turkey' in the workplace through this non-smoking policy can now sue their employers?oooh whats it all coming too

Re: The Home Office has settled out of court
 

What about the jailed rapists and paedophiles ?:eek:

Re: The Home Office has settled out of court
 

seems like alot of fuss over a bit of cold turkey, I think its quite nice , specially in a sandwich with stuffing on boxing day

Re: The Home Office has settled out of court
 

There are two points to consider in this issue:
Whether a prisoner with a drug habit should be forced to go ‘cold turkey’. - NO!
Whether a prisoner forced to undergo ‘cold turkey’ should be compensated for doing so. - YES!

Let me state at the outset that I am 100% in favour of prison sentences being harsh enough to deter all but the most hardened criminal from doing a second spell and preferably them as well. But that prison sentence has to be HUMANE. Denying the prisoners lengthy recreational periods is not INHUMANE nor is hard labour unless it is accompanied by beatings and denial of rest periods and food and drink.

I am also 100% behind a prisoner losing all human rights except those that ensure HUMANE treatment.

The reason for the imprisonment is not the issue. The issue is DRUG ADDICITON whilst in prison.

Prison is to punish and rehabilitate a criminal and not to exact vengeance, although reading many of the replies in this thread, vengeance is in the writers’ heart.

Forcing a prisoner to go ‘cold turkey’ is not a HUMANE act. In fact it borders on sadistic barbarism.

If a criminal enters prison already suffering from a medical condition that prisoner will continue to be medically treated as they were outside. Whether the medical condition is self-inflicted or not is not the issue. Drug addiction is a medical condition. Thus a drug addict awarded a prison sentence should receive treatment for the addiction whilst in prison.

Furthermore, the Governor of the prison that allowed this ‘cold turkey’ procedure to take place, should be brought to account.

Some contributors to this thread have brought into focus, alcoholics and smokers. Alcoholics or smokers are not in the same league as Heroin/Cocaine etc addicts and few commit crimes to fund their habit. In any case prisoners can earn money in prison to enable them to buy tobacco although the same cannot be said for alcohol. However I understand that an alcoholic will get treatment for their condition whilst in prison.

As to the question of compensation:
A prisoner forced to go ‘cold turkey’ is entitled to be compensated because his/her HUMANE rights have been violated.

The amount of compensation is open to debate but I think that the government chickened out in settling out of court with £750,000. They should have offered each ‘cold turkey’ victim £500 and if that was not accepted let the case go to court and let the judicial system decide.

Time to don the steel helmet, flack jacket and climb into an armoured car.