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- Sentencing Bill to crackdown on violent offenders
- Bill will see rapists spend their full custodial sentence in
prison and Whole Life Orders for any murder involving sexual or
sadistic conduct
- The reforms to sentencing will also help low risk offenders
escape the merry-go-around of short prison terms and turn their
lives away from crime
- Stalkers, abusers, and prolific offenders continue to face
time behind bars
As action is being taken to stop low risk offenders getting stuck
in the revolving door of short prison sentences, the Government
has confirmed that domestic abusers will continue to face jail,
and judges will have full discretion to lock up any tormentor who
puts an individual at significant risk of psychological or
physical harm.
Changes to shorter jail stints also won’t apply to those in front
of the court for breaching a court order such as a restraining or
stalking prevention order. This will keep the safety of women and
girls at the heart of the criminal justice system.
The announcement comes as the Sentencing Bill, which was set out
in the King’s Speech, is introduced in the House of Commons.
As part of this bill, the Government will bring in a raft of
measures to better protect the British public from the worst
offenders.
Under the plans, the most heinous murderers will spend the rest
of their lives locked up, including for any murder involving
sexual or sadistic conduct. With Whole Life Orders being handed
down in the worst cases, and judges only able to not impose one
in exceptional circumstances, life will mean life.
The new legislation will also mean rapists and criminals who
commit other serious sexual offences spend their full custodial
term in prison behind bars, making the average sentence for rape
up 50% when the Government came to power in 2010.
Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, KC said:
“We want domestic abuse victims to know this Government is on
their side, so we will do everything possible to protect them
from those who cause harm, or threaten to do so.
“That’s why we are ensuring that judges retain full discretion to
hand down prison sentences to domestic abusers – to give
victims the confidence to rebuild their lives knowing their
tormentors are safely behind bars.”
While custody is the only appropriate punishment for the most
dangerous and violent offenders, for many, a short time in
custody can begin a merry-go-round of reoffending that can
devastate communities and leave countless more
victims.
That is why, through the Sentencing Bill, there will be a
presumption on the courts to suspend custodial sentences of
twelve months or less. This is backed by government statistics
which show over 50 per cent of offenders serving a sentence of 12
months or less go on to commit another crime compared to 58 per
cent of those serving six months or less.
Where suspended sentences are given, offenders will be punished
in the community, repaying their debt to society by cleaning up
our neighbourhoods and scrubbing graffiti off walls. They will
also be strictly overseen by the Probation Service and subject to
license conditions which could include state-of-the-art
electronic monitoring tags and curfews.
They will also be able to better access drug and alcohol rehab,
mental healthcare and other support that properly addresses the
root causes of their offending.
In order to reduce the number of offenders trapped in the
revolving prison door, the Sentencing Bill will:
- Introduce a presumption to suspend prison sentences of 12
months or less in certain circumstances.
- Expand the use of Home Detention Curfew (HDC) to suitable
offenders serving sentences of four years or more.
Judges will retain their discretion to hand down custodial
sentences where they feel it is right in the circumstances of the
case.
