Corruption in my manor today. The Prison Service has released a report uncovering a 'regime of torture' at Wormwood Scrubs prison. The twin stubs of the scrubs are a familiar sight when I worked at Wormwood Scrubs riding school as a child. Its an imposing building but no-one ever seems to know it's there, unlike Holloway or Pentonville which are both signposted. The Scrubs has existed in its own world, looking like a nineteenth century timewarp.

The wardens seem to have taken advantage of its invisibility by familiarity by blantantly faking reports on prisoner assault. The officer on watch was signed off as 'Officer Invisibile' or 'Officer Nobody'. I'm sure nobody's particularly surprised at this kind of mistreatment of prisoners. In fact, I reckon the majority of the population are quite approving. On Newsnight tonight they reported on a prisoner who sued successfully for assuault as he had been denied methadone treatment. Although I'm not in favour of convicted criminals revenging themselves on the justice system in this way the English prison system always frustrates me in its attitude of "lock 'em all up, that'll sort them".


Recently Dhiren Barot the good looking terrorist was sentenced to 40 years. 40 years for something he hasn't even done?! In this country tax evasion will in some circumstances reap you a longer sentence than murder. I can't see how locking someone up for fraud makes any sort of sense. Surely if they've been convicted, they won't ever be in a position of power to commit the same offence as long as they're sanctioned appropriately. In cases of violent crime, denying someone their liberty is justified for the protection of the public but in many other cases I can't see how cramming in a bunch of criminals with each other and subjecting them to humiliation and extreme boredom is supposed to create reformed characters.



In other news, I am writing an article for the Smoke on the new Ministry of Sound prepaid maestro card. For someone who presumeably can't manage their own finances to the extent that they need a pre-pay card, the card comes with a mass of confusing transaction fees to furrow anyone's brow. Pre-pay cards have been in the news earlier this year as the Bliss and Extreme cards targeted the pre-teen market. There were mixed reactions ranging from approval of teaching children to manage budgets to concerns that it will accustom kids to spending money that's not theirs.

Cards like the Splash Card are also popular with people with bad credit ratings. The MOS card, however, is firmly aimed at students with rewards from itunes and use of its 'famous' VIP room.

The sell is that you top up the card with money as you would a phone and use it as a debit card. However it's not connected to your bank account so you avoid going into debt. How this is different from a Solo or an Electron card I can't see - Apart from it being much more expensive. The fees are £1 for any top up, £1.50 for an ATM withdrawal, 20p for any transaction, £5 for a replacement card and £9.99 for the card itself. So if you only top the card up with £10 (the limit is £500 a day capping at £3500, but what student has that sort of money?)

As objective as I will be in the article, I reserve the right to comment in my blog. £1 a top up?! Big rip off, and unless there's a particular reason you don't want the card to be connected to your bank account (like you're an alledged illegal DVD vendor) I can't see how this card has an advantage over Solo or Electron, which cost nothing to use and use electronic checks before being accepted to stop you going into overdraft.