SaneScientist

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

The Tuesday Twat

No. 64. People who flaunt their criminal records.

Last week, I saw something that I found somewhat shocking. A young woman, wearing a denim skirt up to her armpits, flaunting her electronic ankle tag. When the hell did a criminal record cease being something to be ashamed of?

Am I being old-fashioned? Stuck in my ways? Intolerant?

The thing is, this post was already on my Tuesday Twat to-do list before I saw this particular young woman. A (marginally) more subtle example of this takes the form of "prison tatts". You know, those handmade, biro-blue scribblings on the back of their hands that prisoners entertain themselves with whilst residing at Her Majesty's pleasure. With the exception of the occassional Merchant Navy Seaman, pretty much the only place that these get done is in prison. Until recently, very few legitimate tattoo artists would do the back of the hand because of the danger of sticking the needle into one of the many prominent veins there.

Why on earth would you want to advertise the fact that you have done time like that? Surely, once you are out, you want to put it behind you, not tell the world?

But perhaps that's the point. This is perhaps cynical/paranoid of me, but I have a theory. You see, when people come out of prison and are unemployed, they are entitled to unemployment benefit just like you or I. And just like you or I, they have to attend job interviews to keep receiving benefit. Now the fact is that there are plenty of folks who would much rather receive unemployment benefit than work (a man who drinks with my uncle is quite proud of the fact that at the age of 40+ he has yet to do a single days work). However, if you are offered a job, you need to justify why you haven't taken it. Rightly or wrongly, most employers will run a mile rather than employ an ex-con. However, under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act, employers cannot enquire about fully served time, except in positions of high responsibility or where child protection issues may arise. So, how can you let an employer know about your murky past without actually telling them? Why not advertise it to the world by tattooing the name of your prison all over your hands?

Perhaps a little far-fetched. But really, it's the only semi-sensible explanation that I can think of.

Labels: The Tuesday Twat(s)