I think I may have just thrown myself out of the club ...

Terry has a post up regarding Glyn Travis's comments about the pampering of British prisoners. He doesn't blame Maggie, or the SNP (although he doesn't admit, but we wouldn't expect, would we, how much worse 10+ years of Labour Home Secretaries have made things). I couldn't spot a spelling mistake (although his grammar is still cr@p and his formatting appalling - but this is Our Hero we are talking about). In short, a Terry post I actually agree with. Read it yourself.

In case he has a heart attack (he must be high on the risk list) at me supporting him therefore fails to approve my comment, you can see it below:

Entirely - there are a number of appalling failings in the prison system and these do appear to be worse in Scotland.

People with serious mental health or drug problems should be in care, not in prison - I accept that some need to be confined for the safety of society - but the lack of funding, especially for drugs treatment is a disgrace.

Prison should have two purposes - punishment and rehabilitation. The lack of effort put into the latter is disgusting - whether it is some spin doctor's "we can't be seen to be soft on criminals" frankly bollocks, or a lack of understanding about the way some prisons have operated to further distance prisoners from mainstream society.

The status of pregnant and nursing women is an issue for society - especially as so many, compared to the male prison population, are in prison for issues that, frankly, custody is a poor answer for - prostitution and drugs possession offences and non-payment of fines. At the very least, sufficient female staff should be provided to allow as much decorum in their treatment as is compatible with basic security.

The endless ratcheting up of tariffs to appease the Daily Mail brigade, the latest front page outrage and the understandably upset victims needs to be stopped - prison should be a last resort rather than the initial reaction. But that requires proper funding of probation and community sentence options and the ever-absent politician with a backbone.

I am going to have a drink now to convince myself that I have not whole-heartedly agreed with a Terry post.

I'm not sure I feel quite clean.