diff --git a/client/jailreader.py b/client/jailreader.py
index ec73ce46..ad69bfa0 100644
--- a/client/jailreader.py
+++ b/client/jailreader.py
@@ -40,10 +40,11 @@ class JailReader(ConfigReader):
 	
 	actionCRE = re.compile("^((?:\w|-|_|\.)+)(?:\[(.*)\])?$")
 	
-	def __init__(self, name, **kwargs):
+	def __init__(self, name, force_enable=False, **kwargs):
 		ConfigReader.__init__(self, **kwargs)
 		self.__name = name
 		self.__filter = None
+		self.__force_enable = force_enable
 		self.__actions = list()
 	
 	def setName(self, value):
@@ -56,7 +57,7 @@ class JailReader(ConfigReader):
 		return ConfigReader.read(self, "jail")
 	
 	def isEnabled(self):
-		return self.__opts["enabled"]
+		return self.__force_enable or self.__opts["enabled"]
 	
 	def getOptions(self):
 		opts = [["bool", "enabled", "false"],
@@ -87,6 +88,8 @@ class JailReader(ConfigReader):
 			# Read action
 			for act in self.__opts["action"].split('\n'):
 				try:
+					if not act:			  # skip empty actions
+						continue
 					splitAct = JailReader.splitAction(act)
 					action = ActionReader(splitAct, self.__name, basedir=self.getBaseDir())
 					ret = action.read()
@@ -97,8 +100,10 @@ class JailReader(ConfigReader):
 						raise AttributeError("Unable to read action")
 				except Exception, e:
 					logSys.error("Error in action definition " + act)
-					logSys.debug(e)
+					logSys.debug("Caught exception: %s" % (e,))
 					return False
+			if not len(self.__actions):
+				logSys.warn("No actions were defined for %s" % self.__name)
 		return True
 	
 	def convert(self):
@@ -143,12 +148,20 @@ class JailReader(ConfigReader):
 	def splitAction(action):
 		m = JailReader.actionCRE.match(action)
 		d = dict()
-		if not m.group(2) == None:
+		mgroups = m.groups()
+		if len(mgroups) == 2:
+			action_name, action_opts = mgroups
+		elif len(mgroups) == 1:
+			action_name, action_opts = mgroups[0], None
+		else:
+			raise ValueError("While reading action %s we should have got up to "
+							 "2 groups. Got: %r" % (action, mgroups))
+		if not action_opts is None:
 			# Huge bad hack :( This method really sucks. TODO Reimplement it.
 			actions = ""
 			escapeChar = None
 			allowComma = False
-			for c in m.group(2):
+			for c in action_opts:
 				if c in ('"', "'") and not allowComma:
 					# Start
 					escapeChar = c
@@ -173,6 +186,6 @@ class JailReader(ConfigReader):
 				try:
 					d[p[0].strip()] = p[1].strip()
 				except IndexError:
-					logSys.error("Invalid argument %s in '%s'" % (p, m.group(2)))
-		return [m.group(1), d]
+					logSys.error("Invalid argument %s in '%s'" % (p, action_opts))
+		return [action_name, d]
 	splitAction = staticmethod(splitAction)
diff --git a/client/jailsreader.py b/client/jailsreader.py
index e1b8efa3..91e178d6 100644
--- a/client/jailsreader.py
+++ b/client/jailsreader.py
@@ -36,9 +36,17 @@ logSys = logging.getLogger("fail2ban.client.config")
 
 class JailsReader(ConfigReader):
 	
-	def __init__(self, **kwargs):
+	def __init__(self, force_enable=False, **kwargs):
+		"""
+		Parameters
+		----------
+		force_enable : bool, optional
+		  Passed to JailReader to force enable the jails.
+		  It is for internal use
+		"""
 		ConfigReader.__init__(self, **kwargs)
 		self.__jails = list()
+		self.__force_enable = force_enable
 	
 	def read(self):
 		return ConfigReader.read(self, "jail")
@@ -49,7 +57,7 @@ class JailsReader(ConfigReader):
 
 		if section:
 			# Get the options of a specific jail.
-			jail = JailReader(section, basedir=self.getBaseDir())
+			jail = JailReader(section, basedir=self.getBaseDir(), force_enable=self.__force_enable)
 			jail.read()
 			ret = jail.getOptions()
 			if ret:
@@ -62,7 +70,7 @@ class JailsReader(ConfigReader):
 		else:
 			# Get the options of all jails.
 			for sec in self.sections():
-				jail = JailReader(sec, basedir=self.getBaseDir())
+				jail = JailReader(sec, basedir=self.getBaseDir(), force_enable=self.__force_enable)
 				jail.read()
 				ret = jail.getOptions()
 				if ret: