Burglars are let off too lightly… say convicts

Convicted criminals have joined calls for tougher sentences for burglars, especially those who target the homes of children.

In a survey of prison inmates, almost three quarters said judges should jail housebreakers for longer. The survey, by the prisoners’ newspaper Inside Time with ADT, the security firm, also found that more than 90 per cent of convicted burglars admitted feeling guilty about stealing from the homes of children. Noel Smith, the editor of Inside

Time, said most felt burglars should be treated with “contempt on a par with others who commit crimes against families and children”.