Labour giving criminals a break – as they walk free from local jails
Worrying
new figures expose scandal of convicted criminals being let out early
New analysis of
Government statistics revealed that 954 criminals have been let out of prison before
finishing their sentences across London
since June, under Labour’s controversial new early release scheme. In Wormwood
Scrubs, 239 criminals have been let out onto the streets.
Across the
country, 11,000 criminals have already walked out of prison early under the
‘end of custody licence’ system, with an estimated 25,500 criminals to be let
out over a full year. They include violent offenders and foreign nationals
convicted of serious offences. The scheme was introduced because a shortage in
prison places, thanks to a funding crisis caused by Gordon Brown.
Labour Ministers
are now planning a new sentencing quango, which would, for the first time, link
sentences to prison capacity, so that when jails are full, criminals could
receive shorter sentences or not be sent to prison at all.
Bob Blackman
said:
“By definition,
being sent to prison means someone has committed a serious offence. Yet Labour
is giving criminals a break, by letting them loose on Harrow’s
streets.
“Serious
crimes should be punished by a prison sentence, not least to protect the
public. It is no wonder that violent crime has doubled under this Government
when Gordon Brown is giving the culprits a ‘get out of jail’ card this
Christmas. This is fundamentally wrong. Sentences should fit the crime, not this
week’s prison capacity.”
Conservatives
are calling for:
- An immediate halt to the early release scheme,
and the introduction of an emergency prison places programme using the savings
from scrapping the flawed Identity Card scheme.
- Doubling the sentencing powers of magistrates to
12 months and repealing any new restrictions on their ability to hand down
suspended sentences.
- Honesty in sentencing so that convicted
criminals serve the minimum sentence handed down to them by the courts.
- Sufficient prison capacity to hold all those
sentenced by the courts – and reforming prison regimes to break the cycle of
re-offending.
Notes to Editors LABOUR Giving criminals a break The Government is trying to deal with the continuing
shortfall in prison places by watering down sentences and attempting to
restrict the ability of courts to send offenders to prison.
- The Criminal Justice & Immigration Bill, currently before the House
of Commons, ends magistrates’ powers to impose a suspended sentence, and limits
the period served in custody by offenders who breach their licence conditions
to just 28 days.
- The Government plans to restrict the use of its flagship Indeterminate
Sentences for Public Protection Sentence for Public Protection (IPP). There
will be a minimum tariff of two years below which Judges will no longer be able
be impose an IPP. This would affect half the cases in which IPPs are currently
imposed for threats to kill, arson, sexual assault, sexual activity with a
child, and most cases of sexual assault on a child under 13. The whole point of these sentences was to
protect the public, ensuring that offenders could not be released until they
were judged no longer to be a threat.
Now they will be released automatically.
- A new Sentencing Commission will, for the first time, link sentences to
resources, so that when jails are full, criminals could receive shorter
sentences or not be sent to prison at all.
- It appears that the End of Custody Licence scheme, under which 11,000
offenders have already been released from jail 18 days early, will now continue
indefinitely – even though it was meant to be a temporary measure. The Government expects to release 25,500
offenders early in a single year.
LOCAL
FIGURES The Government has published
figures showing the number of criminals that have been let out of prison early,
under the Government’s early release scheme. The figures below show the number
let out from June to October.
Source: Ministry of Justice,
End of Custody Licence Statistics,
December 2007.
http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/endofcustodylicence.htm
