Tag: prison

Burnham blocks hundreds more criminals from sentencing changes

PRIME MINISTER BOWS TO PUBLIC PRESSURE

Unlawful killing and historic child sex offences will be blocked from upcoming changes to prison sentences after the Prime Minister ordered more serious offenders to be kept behind bars for longer

  • Prime Minister blocks manslaughter, death by drunk or dangerous driving and historic child sex offences from sentencing changes  
  • Builds on action to keep those in prison for rape, child sex or grooming offences behind bars
  • Victims of domestic violence will be better protected from perpetrators, with record numbers of offenders set to leave prison tagged and the new restriction zones put in place, some as little as a few miles wide, for some sexual and violent offenders
  • The government will deport thousands of foreign criminals and bring the injustice of IPP sentences to an end during this Parliament 

Unlawful killing and historic child sex offences will be blocked from upcoming changes to prison sentences after the Prime Minister ordered more serious offenders to be kept behind bars for longer. 

The Prime Minister’s intervention will mean offenders in prison for killing an emergency worker in the line of duty will not be released any earlier. Historic grooming offences, all forms of manslaughter, death by dangerous driving and causing or allowing the death of a child will also be barred from the changes to the prison sentences.

This builds on the action already taken by the Prime Minister and Lord Chancellor to stop anyone in prison for rape, serious child sexual offences and grooming from being released earlier. Murderers or anyone deemed the most dangerous by a court and handed a life or extended sentence were already blocked from seeing any reduction to their sentence and will stay locked up until they go before a Parole Board.

As a result of these changes today, hundreds more victims will no longer face the anxiety of seeing their offender coming out sooner than they were expecting.

Since coming into office, the Prime Minister and Lord Chancellor have made significant changes to the plans they inherited. They want to go even further, but cannot do so without risking the entire justice system collapsing. This would mean the police would be unable to make arrests, the courts would stop sending criminals to jail and criminals would be left unchecked on our streets.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham said:  ”I know how strongly people feel about this issue. I understand the concern and anger because I share it. That’s why I took action during my first weeks as Prime Minister to block some of the very worst in society being released before they should. We moved quickly to block vile criminals who commit rape, sexually abuse children and groom vulnerable young people.

“But I always said I wanted to do more. We will now not only be keeping offenders serving time for indecent assault locked up, but also those in prison for manslaughter and death by dangerous driving. This means that the awful criminals responsible for the killing of PC Andrew Harper will not have their sentence shortened.

“The truth is I wanted to go even further. But I’ve pushed the system to the very limits of what’s possible without risking the prison system collapsing within months, putting the public at enormous risk.

“To protect victims, we will be introducing the toughest ever supervision measures for offenders, which effectively mean that someone’s sentence will not end when they leave prison.

“This includes tagging offenders and, for the very first time ever, putting restriction zones in place to stop offenders getting anywhere near their victims.”

The Prime Minister has also announced that he will end the injustice of Imprisonment for Public Protection sentences this Parliament, meaning people will no longer be trapped indefinitely under a sentence abolished more than a decade ago.

This decision recognises how deeply unjust it is that some offenders who have been locked up for nearly twenty years remain in prison, despite serving their sentence many times over, whereas many serious criminals convicted in recent years could have their jail time cut. While work on this will begin immediately, and on a cross-party basis, it will take time to get this right and balance fairness with public safety.

This is just one part of the government’s plan for a fairer justice system, looking at how some people can be punished more effectively outside prison – freeing up cells for those who pose the greatest risk to the public.  

This will include considering how to safely reduce the number of and young offenders and women in custody, in particular those who are pregnant or have young children.

Powers will also be implemented early next year to deport some foreign criminals immediately after sentencing, blocking them from ever returning to the country, while keeping those in prison for the most serious crimes locked up for a substantial period before they are removed.

Justice Secretary Alex Norris said:  ”The Prime Minister and I have rightly looked again at these reforms and we are clear that people responsible for taking a life, or for appalling crimes against children, should be kept behind bars for longer.    

“But protecting the public also means fixing the prison system for good. We will build the cells we need, put offenders under much tougher controls when they leave prison and end the historic injustice of IPP sentences.   

“This is a government running towards problems and not shying away from the tough decisions needed to build a justice system that is firm, fair and protects the public.”

The Prime Minister and Lord Chancellor have also insisted that victims must remain at the centre of the justice system, with survivors of domestic abuse seeing offenders put under some of the toughest restrictions to date.

This includes a presumption that all prison leavers will be tagged and imposing possible bans on pubs and public events.

Perpetrators could also be confined to a specific area – some just a few miles wide – giving victims greater freedom to live their lives. In a world first, new ‘restriction zones’, which have been directly shaped by the experiences and campaigning of victims, will limit the movement of some sexual and violent offenders, with victims having a say in how zones are drawn up.

Victims advocates Hetti Barkworth-Nanton CBE, chair of Refuge, Frank Mullane MBE, CEO of Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse, and Jo Early, chief executive of Support after Murder and Manslaughter, said: “We welcome the Prime Minister’s decision to exclude all manslaughter cases from the early release scheme.

“The original sentence lengths for these offences were, in part, intended to protect the public. The problem of prison capacity does not alter that underlying need for public protection.

“Therefore, making manslaughter offenders eligible for early release would risk undermining a key purpose of their sentences and could represent a significant compromise to public protection. This also re-assures families bereaved by homicide that they are not being asked to trade justice so prison overcrowding can be resolved.

The government says it inherited a prison system on the brink of collapse with fewer than 100 spaces left in the summer of 2024. 

A lack of investment in the prison estate with just 500 net places added for over a decade has led to a situation where adult male prisons are now at 98% capacity. That is why this government is taking decisive action to fix the broken prison system for good.  

Under this government, more than 3,200 prison places have already been built, with 14,000 expected by 2031 under the largest prison build expansion since the Victorian era.

The Westminster government says the Sentencing Act will restore order to the prison system and make sure we have cells available for dangerous criminals.

They say that, alongside record prison building, the reforms will put prisons on a sustainable footing and end the cycle of emergency release measures used before July 2024 when prisons repeatedly came close to running out of space.  

Business leaders join forces to get thousands of offenders into work

Major new drive to get offenders into stable jobs and away from a life of crime

  • New Employment Councils to bring probation, prisons and local businesses together
  • Household UK names including the Co-op and Oliver Bonas backing new initiative
  • Scheme aims to get more offenders into work to cut crime as part of Plan for Change

Bosses from household names including Greggs, Iceland and COOK will be among those to sit on new Employment Councils supporting offenders serving their sentence in the community into work.

They will build on the success of prison Employment Advisory Boards, which were created by Lord Timpson before he became a government minister. These have brought local business leaders into jails to improve education and prisoners’ ability to get work when released.

The new regional Employment Councils will expand this model out to the Probation Service and the tens of thousands of offenders serving their sentences in the community.

Each council will also have a representative from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to help improve links with local job centres.

The initiative was a manifesto commitment and will play a crucial role in the Government’s mission to make streets safer by tackling reoffending under the Plan for Change.

Around 80% of all crime is reoffending but latest data shows offenders employed six weeks after leaving prison had a reoffending rate around half of those out of work.

Alongside breaking the cycle of crime, getting offenders into work helps employers fill vacancies, build their businesses, plug skill gaps and boost the UK economy.

Minister for Probation, Prisons and Reducing Reoffending, James Timpson, said: “Getting former offenders into stable work is a sure way of cutting crime and making our streets safer. That’s why partnering with businesses to get more former offenders into work is a win-win.

“The Employment Advisory Boards I spear-headed have made huge progress and now these Employment Councils will expand that success to steer even more offenders away from crime as part of our Plan for Change.”

Employment Councils will provide support to frontline probation staff already involved in getting offenders into work. They will provide them with a greater understanding of the local labour market and help build better relationships with suitable employers.

Further support from the DWP will help link offenders with work coaches placed at job centres throughout the country.

These coaches will be on hand to get offenders job-ready through mock interviews, CV advice and by sharing tips on how to secure further training opportunities in the community.

DWP Lords Minister, Baroness Maeve Sherlock, said: ”As well as making our streets safer, helping offenders into work will enable employers to fill vacancies and plug our skills gaps.

“This work is vital in our Plan for Change as we begin our task of fixing the fundamentals of the social security system and progress with wider work to reduce poverty, put more money in people’s pockets and keep our streets safe.

“That’s why I am pleased that DWP staff will also be a part of the new regional Employment Councils to directly connect them with the frontline support delivered every day by Jobcentre staff across the country – offering work experience and access to our employment programmes.”

Research from the Ministry of Justice shows that 90% of businesses that employ ex-offenders agreed that they are good attenders, motivated and trustworthy

Rosie Brown, co-CEO of COOK, said: “A job provides a key way to help people restore their lives and relationships following a stretch in prison.

“In return, we get committed, loyal team members to help us build our business.  Re-offending is reduced, and families, communities, and society as a whole wins.”

Employment Councils will serve as the successor to regional Employment Advisory Boards and will officially bring together probation, prisons, local employers and DWP under one umbrella for the first time, with a renewed focus on broadening support to offenders in the community.

The Boards will continue at 93 individual prisons but the addition of regional Employment Councils will help prison leavers look for work across an entire region, not just the immediate vicinity of the last prison they were in.

Independent review of sentencing and penal policy

In-depth look at how best to deal with offending behaviour

Identifying the most effective ways to address offending behaviour so there is less crime and fewer victims will be at the heart of an independent review of sentencing and penal policy, the Justice Secretary has announced.

The externally led review will examine how and when custodial sentences and community interventions are used, how effective these are and what more can be done to prevent crime and reduce reoffending.

While sentencing in individual cases is always for Scotland’s independent courts, the review will consider the range of community interventions available to judges and sheriffs and whether these should be expanded.

To encourage greater use of ‘robust community-based interventions’ there will be also be increased investment of £14 million in community justice in 2024-25, bringing the total investment in community justice to £148 million this year.

Justice Secretary Angela Constance said: “Protecting victims and the public from harm is my absolute priority and prison will always be necessary as part of that. However, we must recognise that, while appropriate in many cases, short prison sentences are often not the best way to reduce reoffending, with those released from short custodial sentences reconvicted nearly twice as often as those sentenced to a community payback order.

“Therefore an externally led review of sentencing and penal policy will allow us to re-visit the fundamental question of how imprisonment and community-based sentences are used. We must do more to develop community interventions with increased breadth and depth, so that the courts have a greater selection of options to deal robustly and constructively with the individuals before them.

“The prison population in Scotland remains too high and the needs of those in prison are increasingly complex. While a range of work is underway to respond to this, we also need to understand and address its root causes.

“The aim of this review is not about reducing the prison population as an end in itself, but ensuring that custody is used for the right people at the right time.”

Proxy purchasing: It will cost you

Underage drinking plays a huge part in antisocial behaviour, crime and violence in local communities. One of the ways young people get their hands on alcohol is to ask an adult to buy it for them. This is called proxy purchasing – and it’s a criminal offence.

Buy alcohol for someone under 18 and you could face a fine of up to £5,000 or up to 3 months in prison. Or both.

For more information visit ⬇️

www.itwillcostyou.com/about

#ItWillCostYou

A ‘bold new vision’ for Scottish justice

A vision to transform Scotland’s justice sector through the COVID-19 recovery period and beyond has been published.

The new strategy will enshrine key priorities – making sure victims voices are heard, placing women and children at the heart of service delivery and reassessing the role that prisons and the use of imprisonment should play.

Specifically:

  • Victims will take a more prominent role in cases, experience fewer delays and be supported in their recovery. A Victims’ Commissioner will be appointed and there will be increased use of pre-recorded evidence. Restorative Justice services will also be made available across Scotland by 2023.
  • As well as an ambition to prevent Violence Against Women and Girls by tackling societal attitudes of misogyny and gender inequality, the vision prioritises systemic changes to improve the experiences of women and children building on the recommendations of Lady Dorrian’s report on the Management of Sexual Offences and ensuring access to Bairns’ Hoose for every child victim or witness who needs it.
  • Prison will always be needed for the most serious offences to ensure safety, but with evidence demonstrating community interventions are more effective than short prison sentences at reducing reoffending, the strategy seeks to reduce the need for imprisonment through early intervention and providing greater access to community justice alternatives. 

The vision will be underpinned by a requirement for the whole sector to ensure people are treated with empathy and kindness, for example by avoiding additional trauma by having to retell their stories.

The plan also enshrines the need for collaborative work across public services to improve outcomes for individuals, focussing on prevention and early intervention.

Justice Secretary Keith Brown said: “This bold new vision will deliver a just, safe, and resilient sector with the needs of victims very firmly at its centre.

“Transforming the way we view and deliver justice in Scotland will ensure we properly support the most vulnerable in our society, creating a fair system that fulfils and meets the human rights of all who use it.

“This strategic blueprint sets out key priority areas including improving the experience of women and girls in a justice system historically designed by men, taking forward reform to address inequalities. It also stresses the need for a fresh look at the use of custody and firmly puts victims and the needs of victims at its centre.

“Underpinning this, the vision makes clear the need for services to be person centred and trauma informed to avoid re-traumatising people as they journey through the system. And, fundamentally, it stresses the importance of holistic early interventions that leverage the whole of government and public services to reduce offending and the causes of offending at the outset.

“I am determined to drive change and deliver better outcomes through our public services and this new framework envisions the best way to do that. We can and will deliver justice services which meet the needs of modern Scottish society.”

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Police: Don’t Ask For It campaign

Licensing Officers were joined by the Convener of the Licensing Board @CllrNormanWork visiting licensed premises in Clermiston & South Queensferry to promote Police Scotland’s #DontAskForIt campaign yesterday.

It is a criminal offence to buy alcohol for someone under 18. You could receive a £5000 fine or upto 3 months in prison.

On the Outside: a visual letter to the past, the present and the future

Powerful short film tells story of four women who had previously served sentences at HMPYOI Polmont 

The stories of four females who had previously served sentences at HMPYOI Polmont have been brought to life through a powerful new short film. Continue reading On the Outside: a visual letter to the past, the present and the future

Justice Committee questions use of remand in Scotland

Holyrood’s Justice Committee has found that the proportion of remand prisoners in Scotland is high. This is particularly true amongst female prisoners, where remand prisoners account for almost a quarter of the total female prison population. Continue reading Justice Committee questions use of remand in Scotland