Stacy Summary:   We have an elaborate military/prison welfare system that has created a class of people well fed by the state and, obviously, in the US, this has resulted one of the highest incarceration rates for any society ever to occupy earth.  In the UK, a watchdog has now mentioned the high costs of incarceration and whether a new model ought not to be considered – even for serious crimes.  No doubt the Daily Mail will be baying for this watchdog’s blood by now, but, hopefully, an interesting (and honest) discussion will, nevertheless, be had.  Re: the baying for Persian blood of the second story, it seems Americans are not ready to hear about the costs, financially and morally, of the many countries they occupy and the thousands upon thousands of people they kill annually in the name of transfer of wealth to the dogs of military welfare.

• Probation watchdog says serious crimes may be price to pay for cutting cost of justice

Some reoffending — even if it involved “serious” new crimes — could be the price that society had to pay for trying to cut down on the huge cost of the country’s rising prison population, said Mr Bridges, the chief inspector of probation. While acknowledging that prison reduced crime, he described it as a “rather drastic form of crime prevention” and said it was time to consider dealing with more offenders in the community.

He claimed that the public could never be perfectly protected and that the cost of a “small amount” of reoffending could be outweighed by the “benefit” of financial savings to the public purse made from having less prisoners locked up.

• Astro-turfing group headed by former Bush Administration official given MSM platform to push for war on Iran