Ending short jail terms ‘would let rapists loose’
THE row within the Tory Party over plans to abolish jail sentences of less than a year deepened last night after one MP described it as ‘ ludicrous’ – and claimed it would lead to child rapists being free to roam the streets. Justice Secretary David Gauke has argued that the courts should impose ‘alternative’ punishments rather than short spells in jail for less serious offences. But MP Philip Davies has claimed this would put more than 5,000 criminals on the streets to commit further offences. Figures he obtained through a parliamentary question revealed that at the end of March, 5,343 prisoners were serving a year or less for crimes including sexual grooming, possession of weapons, burglary and rape of a child under 13.
He said: ‘The idea was ludicrous in the first place but when you look at the crimes people are in for, it beggars belief that any Secretary of State would say judges should think about alternative punishments. While people are in prison the public are protected from them.’
Tory MP Andrea Jenkyns added: ‘Such ridiculous ideas do terrible damage to our hard-won reputation for being the natural party of law and order.’
Mr Gauke’s critics also argue that ‘soft justice’ contributed to a 21 per cent rise in violent crime last year – and that his approach is aimed more at easing the pressure on overcrowded cells.
Last week he took privately-run Birmingham Prison back into state hands after inspectors said inmates were openly taking drugs and behaving with ‘near impunity’.
But Mr Gauke has said that today’s prison population is 84,000 compared with 44,000 25 years ago – and those given non-custodial sentences have lower reoffending rates.