Jeffery Archer - which other ex prisoners get full on praise by the RF upon death or are some crimes more forgiveable than others?

[mids2019]

So JA has died and the queen is fulsome in her praise. I suppose thr question is does not a jail sentence remove you from a state of grace in society? There are other celebs that have fallen foul of the law and will not be spoken of with praise again so how are these decisions made?

I really enjoyed reading his prison diaries. Very enlightening

Do some middle class prisoners (or ex prisoners) get to enjoy the label of 'loveable cad' while others suffer (deserved) reputations damage for the rest of their lives? People often lose jobs and are left financially ruined after a sentence yet it seems if you are of a certain class.all can be forgiven.....

I don't think the obituaries did anything other than point out the bad and dishonest alongside his career as a writer.

I agree some crimes are looked upon differently from others. Some venerate the Krays for example, so it is not just about class.

He had a long standing affair which resulted in a daughter being born who hes never seen
I think he paid msintenance
She also had serious health issues.
Oops that was cecil parkinson please ignore 😩

Exactly my thoughts. He’s a ‘cheeky chappy’ so all sins can be forgiven.
Probably doesn’t hurt to be the ex-Treasurer of the Tory party and a big financial donor as well.

Me too: I haven't read any other books of his, but I found the prison diaries absolutely riveting. He wrote about many of the things which are so very, very wrong with prison, and how they are basically universities of crime. He also experienced (but probably less than many other prisoners do) how easily a prisoner can be "victimised" by the system, if they are disliked by somebody in the right position: in his case, the then Home Secretary.

Perhaps if more politicians and lords went to prison, actually as prisoners (not treated like VIPs as they are when they occasionally visit prisons), and saw first-hand what prisons are like, the world might be a better place! I've always said we need a "national service" for politicians: they must do a year's minimum wage job before entering Parliament, but how about a few months in prison also being an option?