Vera Baird says she was wrong to say that judges are liberal wusses. Attorney General says ‘ok that’s all right then and some sentences are too lenient’. Who knew the bench would snap back?

Meanwhile, the prisons will be as full as a commuter train in 12 weeks time.

After a fortnight of intense political debate over sentencing, the prison population, which is now rising by 148 a week, hit a record of 77,785 on Friday – with room for only a further 1,715 inmates. “We are looking at a system where prison numbers are rising inside what is already a hugely pressured area. That may hit the buffers soon at a point where there are not any more spaces,” warned Ms Owers. [The Guardian]

And plans for early release have been put on hold because the probation service can’t cope with its current load, let alone anything else.

It’s all going awfully well, don’t you think?