Playing the courts

PART of the problem behind rising crime levels and demoralised police is the way the courts operate.

as a magistrate for a number of years, I found most daily court sessions started with clerks saying: ‘Of course if you have to, you must give a custodial sentence. But there are no places — the prisons are full.’

I was also on a panel whose purpose was to get offenders to pay their fines. Sessions often started with staff asking us to write off thousands of pounds’ worth of charges.

The worst offenders knew if they persistently avoided paying, the courts would have few options to make them do so. The system works for the offender, not the victim.

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