The Independent asks on its front page,
No wonder the prisons are full
John Reid was engulfed by criticism from all sides as judges and criminal justice experts tore into his attempts to get a grip on the prison population crisis.
The Home Secretary's week came to a disastrous end as Rod Morgan resigned as chairman of the Youth Justice Board (YJB) with a withering attack on Mr Reid's plans to build more jails as a "counsel of despair".
Judges also reacted angrily to Mr Reid's plea for them to lock up fewer non-dangerous offenders, variously warning they would have to release people who ought to be jailed or that they would not be swayed by his strictures. And Mr Reid suffered the embarrassment of having to admit in the High Court that his department had been acting unlawfully by locking up young asylum seekers.
The Times leads with
Bad news day caps miserable week for Reid
The day began with the Government being forced to deny interfering in the courts after a judge said that he had chosen not to send a man guilty of possessing child pornography to prison in part because jails are reaching maximum capacity.
Then the head of youth justice for England and Wales revealed that he was leaving his job and parted with a stinging attack on the Government's targets for prosecuting low-level crime, saying the criminal justice system was being "swamped" with young people.
The Home Office was then humbled in two court cases dealing with asylum seekers.
At London's High Court, lawyers for Mr Reid admitted that a policy of detaining asylum seekers who it suspected of lying about their age was unlawful. In a separate case, a High Court judge described the Home Office's treatment of an Afghan refugee as "appalling" and threw out an attempt to have him removed from the UK.
The Mail proclaiming
Revolt of the judges: the day they turned on John Reid
The justice system was in turmoil last night as judges staged an unprecedented revolt over the full prisons scandal.
John Reid was facing the worst crisis of his career as a string of criminals, including another dangerous paedophile, walked free from court.
The Sun continues its theme of the week, describing
ANOTHER BRAINLESS RULING AS PAEDO NO 2 FREED
The papers themselves are also making the news this morning,the Telegraph leads with
Editor quits as reporter jailed
The editor of the News of the World resigned yesterday immediately after the paper's royal editor was jailed for four months for illegally hacking into mobile phones belonging to senior royal aides.
Mr Coulson, who has edited the paper for four years, said he "deeply regretted" what had happened. "I also feel strongly that when the News of the World calls those in public life to account on behalf of its readers, it must have its own house in order," he said.
News International, the owner of the News of the World, said Mr Coulson formally resigned two weeks ago to the executive chairman Les Hinton. He delayed his departure until the completion of yesterday's court proceedings, the company added.
The Indy reports that
Goodman was accused of "low conduct" that was "reprehensible in the extreme" for intercepting more than 600 messages, including some from Prince William. Mr Justice Gross told Goodman: "This case is not about press freedom. It is about grave, inexcusable and illegal invasion of privacy."
He sentenced Goodman's co-defendant, private investigator Glenn Mulcaire, 36, to six months for his role in the plot.
The judge said the "intrinsically serious and unattractive nature" of the offence meant immediate custody was inevitable. "Such sustained criminal conduct should be marked by a loss of liberty," he said.
Goodman stood impassive as the sentence was passed, glancing at his wife. The judge told both men: "Neither journalist or private security consultant are above the law. What you did was plainly on the wrong side of the line."
The Mirror stays with Big Brother following last night's evictions
TWO DOWN (ONE TO GO)
BIG Brother voters last night kicked out racist bully number two - Jo O'Meara.
The sneering star looked stunned as she was evicted to massive jeers from the crowd.
Inside the house, bully number three Danielle Lloyd sobbed uncontrollably as she heard the abuse her pal was receiving.
Astonishingly, Jo showed no remorse in her interview with host Davina McCall. And she boasted that she had "really been herself" in the house.
The Guardian has a strange lead story this morning,
US answer to global warming: smoke and giant space mirrors
The US government wants the world's scientists to develop technology to block sunlight as a last-ditch way to halt global warming, the Guardian has learned. It says research into techniques such as giant mirrors in space or reflective dust pumped into the atmosphere would be "important insurance" against rising emissions, and has lobbied for such a strategy to be recommended by a major UN report on climate change, the first part of which will be published on Friday.
The Express meanwhile leads on
Nurses told: Work for no pay
NURSES have been asked to work for free by desperate hospital bosses as the NHS budget crisis spirals out of control.Despite the service receiving more money than at any point in its history, outraged staff – from doctors to porters – are being asked to put in an extra day for no pay.Bosses at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust hope the move will help stem a £5million debt which it has only two months to clear. And if money isn’t saved, a letter to staff implies there could be voluntary redundancies.
And staying with the health service the Mail tells us
Drug addicts told 'kick habit and win an iPod'
Drug addicts who kick their habit are to be rewarded with iPods, televisions and shopping vouchers on the NHS under controversial guidelines unveiled by the Government's health service rationing watchdog.
While cancer and Alzheimer's patients are denied life-prolonging treatments on the NHS, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) revealed a plan to offer junkies prizes for staying clean.
The Telegraph reports that
Honours police ready to seek No10 warrant
The paper claiming that
The alleged lack of co-operation, which Downing Street denies, has led to the "nuclear" option of the police going before a magistrate to obtain search warrants. Sources close to the inquiry said that a number of emails had not been voluntarily disclosed, including from the private accounts of some officials.
With the economic summit opening in Davos,the Independent is quick to find critics of the government
South Africa criticises Blair at Davos
Tony Blair's quest for a legacy took a knock in Davos yesterday after African leaders paid short shrift to the Prime Minister's call for a big push from the G8 member countries to improve the standard of education in the continent.
"I'd like to see a big push on education to give a sense that it's not just a sum of money but definite results," said Mr Blair. But Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the Liberian president, and Thabo Mbeki, the president of South Africa, both said Africa needed more investment in its infrastructure if the continent was to move forward.
And finally staying in Davos the Sun reports that
Bono leans on Blair over Africa
BONO last night told Tony Blair he fears big promises made to help Africa may not be kept.
The U2 frontman praised the PM for making poverty in Africa a huge issue. But at a meeting of business and political leaders, Bono said more progress was needed this year.
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