Mon 13 Nov 2006

Prisoners' compensation

David Starkey and his guests discuss 'human rights'. Joining Dr Starkey tonight are Andrew Dismore (Labour MP), Ian Bone (set up 'Class War'), Salma Yaqoob (Vice Chair of the Respect Party).

The Home Office is to pay out tens of thousands of pounds in compensation to prisoners forced off methadone treatment programmes, after they claimed they suffered "trespass" and "clinical negligence" by being forced into 'cold turkey' withdrawal when sent to prison.

They also claim their human rights were breached under articles of the European Convention on Human Rights banning discrimination, torture or inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

The Tories have accused John Reid of losing his political nerve by settling out of court and refusing to fight the case in the High Court. This test case involving six prisoners and former prisoners could pave the way for another 192 prisoners to make claims.

Is this an unwelcome product of our growing litigation culture, or a valid recognition of malpractice? Isn't one of the main defining factors of imprisonment that prisoners are denied the normal rights extended to all other citizens? How should we differentiate what is a human right, and what is a human expectation?