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Government plans to put an end to short prison sentences
will mean about 30,000 repeat offenders will be spared
jail every year, a new Civitas analysis shows.
The proposals will result in non-custodial sentences for
about 34,000 offenders who would currently receive prison
terms of less than six months. They include thieves,
burglars, drink-drivers and those caught in possession of
knives and drugs.
No more than about 4,000 of these are first-time
offenders, meaning at least about 30,000 of the short
prison terms that are being abolished are for repeat
offenders.
The findings raise serious questions about the
implications for public safety of failing to keep so many
repeat offenders off the streets, even for relatively
short periods of time.
The report’s author, , writes:
‘ claims that ending
sentences below six months would help respectable people
to hold on to their jobs and reputations. In reality, his
own department’s data makes clear that it would mean tens
of thousands more hardened criminals avoiding
prison.
‘It would mean far more victims of burglary and
shoplifting, drink driving and knife crime. The
government must now consider the evidence, rather than
proceed any further with plans for an effective amnesty
for burglars, shoplifters and other prolific criminals.’
The paper describes how the sentencing reforms – which
would end prison sentences of less than six months for
all but violent and sexual offenders – would:
- Mean non-custodial sentences for 83% of those
caught in possession of a knife, up from 70%.
- Allow 58% of burglars to avoid prison, up from 44%
presently.
- Cause custodial sentences for shoplifting to fall
from 21% of offences to less than 1%.
- Effectively remove the threat of prison for any
kind of drug possession (a charge often used by police
against drug dealers when more substantive charges seem
unlikely to stick).
- Reduce the number of drink and drug drivers sent to
prison from one in 50 to one in 2000.
In addition, Cuthbertson describes how the reforms
will also fail to keep many violent and sexual offenders
off the streets because it is usually the same
individuals who are responsible for the offences are that
are to be dealt with more leniently.
‘The courts following an extremely misguided
understanding of who is committing violent and sex
offences,’ Cuthbertson writes.
‘While the government implies that its policy will be
tough on those committing these offences, in fact it is
overwhelmingly the same criminals committing all types of
offence. Burglars avoiding prison means violent offenders
avoiding prison because it is the same criminals doing
both.’
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