BRITISH SENTENCING A JOKE

But they are "supervised" when they are let out -- with a policeman following them day and night, no doubt!

Thousands of criminals including burglars and thieves will serve less time in prison under new guidelines that urge courts to cut jail terms by 15 per cent. The change means that a non-violent and non-sexual offender sentenced to six years will spend one year and five months less in jail. The guidance - issued by the Sentencing Guidelines Council, headed by Lord Woolf, the Lord Chief Justice - led last night to accusations that the public was being deceived by the Government and the legal establishment.

Dominic Grieve, the Shadow Attorney-General, condemmed the new regime, which came into force this month, as a "deceit on the public". He said: "Once again the public is being hoodwinked because prisoners will not serve sentences that bear any relations to the penalty imposed."

Norman Brennan, director of the Victims of Crime Trust, said: "The fact is that prison works. People say it is a 'university of crime', but while inside they cannot be at the open university of life, down at the bar or club deciding to do a burglary that night."

Despite the shorter time that many criminals will spend in jail, the Sentencing Guidelines Council said that the new regime was harsher than its predecessor because criminals serving 12 months or more will be supervised after leaving jail halfway through their sentence. Previously, many were released without supervision.

The new penalties came into force this month, but the full effects will be noticed only in the coming weeks as cases go through the courts. Judges should make allowance for "more demanding" early-release conditions and reduce sentence length by 15 per cent, the council said....

An offender given six years under the old system would be automatically released after four years and would be under supervision in the community for a further six months. Under the new system, the same offender would be given about five years and two months - the 15 per cent cut - and be released from jail automatically after serving two years and seven months. He would spend the rest of the sentence under supervision or on licence.

The terms of the licence are intended to be much tougher than under the old sentencing regime.
The new framework covers a large range of offences such as theft, burglary, drug-dealing, some assaults, immigration offences and fraud.....

More here



(And don't forget your ration of Wicked Thoughts for today)