A recent article by Conrad Black is good reading, but have a dictionary within reach: Lord Black likes you to remind you he knows fancy words!

The article, “Canada’s inhumane prison plan“, may be found in the May 29, 2010 National Post. It contains unexpected support for those of us who oppose the Conservative government’s justice agenda; unexpected as it is written by someone who would appear to be a pillar of the Conservative establishment, writing in a conservative publication. Perhaps even more unexpected is Black’s citation with approval of Michael Jackson and Graham Stewart’s “Fear-Driven Policy“, an essay appearing in the Literary Review of Canada. Both Jackson and Stewart are well-known Canadian prison reformers.

To get a flavour of Black’s piece, take note of what he says about Prime Minister Harper’s correctional policy document, which is called A Roadmap to Strengthening Public Safety:

The Roadmap is the self-serving work of reactionary, authoritarian palookas, what we might have expected 40 years ago from a committee of southern U.S. police chiefs. It is counter-intuitive and contra-historical: The crime rate has been declining for years, and there is no evidence cited to support any of the repression that is requested. It appears to defy a number of Supreme Court decisions, and is an affront, at least to the spirit of the Charter of Rights.

Don’t hold back Conrad!

Perhaps most interesting of all, from my perspective, is the number of supportive comments – critical of the government’s plans – from readers. You can find them at the end of the article.