Lock 'em up?

The question of remand in custody versus bail is highlighted today by two news stories. On the one hand you have a case of a man (policeman actually, although that is not really material) who was charged with murdering his wife, but then released on bail. It now seems likely that he went on to kill his mother-in-law, and then commit suicide, and questions are being asked about why he was free to do that. On the other hand, the trial started yesterday of the man accused of the Ipswich killings. Yes, that's right - that was over a year ago. Here is a man who as yet has not been convicted of anything, but has already been in prison for more than 12 months. That's the other side of the coin. As Gladstone once remarked "Justice delayed is justice denied".