NEW SOFT JUSTICE FARCE
Now it’s revealed 620,000 criminals with ten or more convictions have been spared jail despite new offences
MORE than 620,000 hardened criminals with at least ten previous convictions have been spared jail despite committing new offences.
Extraordinary figures reveal that sex offenders, violent thugs and robbers are among convicts who did not serve a single day in prison after committing their latest crime.
Despite appalling criminal records, they were allowed to roam the streets because instead of locking them up judges handed them non-custodial sentences such as community sentences, cautions, suspended jail sentences and conditional discharges.
In one shocking case, a man who had previously committed around 200 burglaries was given another chance when convicted of his latest offence.
It will fuel claims that the courts are going soft and handing out the punishments to save money and reduce overcrowding in jails. But ministers insisted that under this government the most serious offenders were more likely to go to prison and for longer, helping to protect the public.
The revelations, which follow an analysis of official Ministry of Justice (MoJ) statistics, comes after an investigation by the Daily Mail yesterday exposed how judges are allowing serious offenders to walk free – despite concerns about ‘Wild West Britain’.
Many believe the lack of a deterrent is emboldening law-breakers. Violent crime surged by 21 per cent last year, with 1.3million offences recorded by police. In the five-year period to December 2016, some 627,052 adult criminals who were given a non- custodial sentence for a new offence, including killings and violent or sexual attacks, had already racked up 11 or more convictions or cautions.
An analysis of MoJ data for the Civitas think-tank found that 19,634 offenders convicted of a violent crime avoided prison despite having been in trouble with the police at least ten times before.
And 8,705 offenders found guilty of possessing a weapon, 1,297 sex offenders and 800 robbers were also given a non- custodial sentence even though they had racked up so many previous convictions. Incredibly, 13,328 offenders were spared jail despite having at least 76 other convictions or cautions.
The figures will raise doubts about Justice Secretary David Gauke’s drive to slash short prison sentences.
Former Home Office adviser David Green, of Civitas, blamed the Government for attempting to force down the prison population, which last week stood at around 83,000 – 3,000 fewer than last year.
‘We have created a lawless environment in prison and ministers have dealt with this by reducing the prison population,’ he said. ‘That means not imposing jail sentences or letting people out early, many of whom can be expected to commit serious crimes on release.
‘The Tory government was historically tough on law and order but here it is all over the place. They have completely lost sense of what is important to ordinary people. The most important thing for any government is to maintain public safety and it is failing in this fundamental duty.’
David Spencer, research director of the Centre For Crime Prevention think-tank, said: ‘It is frankly disgusting that so many repeat offenders are effectively getting away with their crimes thanks to Britain’s soft justice system.’ A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: ‘Under this Government the most serious offenders are more likely to go to prison, and for longer – helping protect the public and keep communities safe. Sentencing remains a matter for independent judges, based on the full facts of each case.’
The ministry said prisoners were being given the longest sentences for at least 20 years with the average custodial term climbing to 16.9 months in the last year, up from 13.8 months in 2010 when the Tory-led Coalition came to power.