Jail term reforms ‘let loose 30,000 repeat offenders’

ABOUT 30,000 repeat offenders, including thieves, burglars and those caught in possession of knives, will be spared jail under government plans to abolish short sentences, a study shows.

The analysis by Civitas, the think tank, says the reform, which will end prison sentences under six months, would result in 34,000 convicted criminals avoiding prison, of whom 4,000 would be first-time offenders.

Of the 30,000, some 16,000 would have been convicted of theft or burglary, 3,100 of public order offences, 1,625 of possession of weapons and 1,121 of drug offences, according to the study based on Ministry of Justice data.

David Gauke, the Justice Secretary, has signalled the abolition of sentences under six months, saying they were ineffective in preventing reoffending.

“It would mean tens of thousands more hardened criminals avoiding prison,” said the report’s author Peter Cuthbertson. “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 research suggests the number of those caught with a knife who would avoid jail would rise from 70 to 83 per cent. More burglars would be spared, up from 44 to 58 per cent, and just 1 per cent of shoplifters would be jailed.

Mr Cuthbertson, a crime researcher, said the ministry was underestimating the crossover between violent and sex offenders and lower level crimes.

His previous research showed just 7 per cent of those receiving jail terms were first-time offenders.

A Ministry of Justice (MOJ) spokesman said there was clear evidence that short sentences failed to rehabilitate offenders and “often do more harm than good”. “That is why we are exploring more stringent and enforceable community sentences – but this work is ongoing and we’ve reached no conclusions at this time.”