Boris Johnson considers making criminals ‘earn’ release from prison
Boris Johnson considers making criminals ‘earn’ their release from prison with good behaviour in new crackdown on crime
- Prime minister poised to announce plans to expand stop and search powers
- New report by former policing minister proposes end to automatic jail release
- Prisoners are normally released automatically at the half-way point of sentence
Boris Johnson is considering plans to make criminals ‘earn’ their release from prison as he prepares to announce a crackdown on crime next week.
A major report written by a former policing minister proposes a raft of criminal justice reforms including more ‘honest’ sentencing and an end to automatic release from jail.
Instead, Tory MP Nick Herbert, chairman of the Project For Modern Democracy think-tank, suggests prisoners should only be let out if they behave themselves, stay drug free and try to mend their ways.
Mr Johnson’s intervention follows the brutal stabbing of PC Stuart Outten, 28, in the head by a man armed with a machete in Leyton, east London. Mr Herbert calls for a neighbourhood policing ‘guarantee’ to go along with Mr Johnson’s £1.1billion promise of 20,000 new police officers
The report is published today ahead of a anti-crime blitz in which the Prime Minister is poised to:
- Announce new plans to extend stop-and-search powers for the police to combat knife crime;
- Detail tougher sentencing policy for offenders found guilty of serious sexual and violent crimes so the sentence ‘truly reflects the severity of their offence’;
- Reveal new policy measures designed to combat the most prolific repeat offenders.
Mr Johnson’s intervention follows the brutal stabbing of PC Stuart Outten, 28, in the head by a man armed with a machete in Leyton, east London.
In the report, Mr Herbert – who was policing minister in the Home Office for two years under David Cameron – calls for a string of radical reforms to the criminal justice system and a new ‘public safety strategy’ to combat rising crime.
Blair Gibbs, a former research director at the think-tank, is now working as an adviser to Mr Johnson in Downing Street.
Mr Herbert calls for a neighbourhood policing ‘guarantee’ to go along with Mr Johnson’s £1.1billion promise of 20,000 new police officers.
He proposes wider use of facial- recognition technology to tackle gang crime and a mass expansion of GPS tagging to keep track of offenders.
He also wants ministers to create a National Cyber Constabulary to tackle crimes committed online by taxing internet giants.
A major report written by a former policing minister proposes a raft of criminal justice reforms including more ‘honest’ sentencing and an end to automatic release from jail. A stock photo of a prison is pictured above [File photo]
On sentencing, he says courts should introduce more ‘honesty’ in sentencing, with judges informing victims of the earliest possible release dates for offenders. He says longer jail terms should be targeted at the most prolific and dangerous criminals.
Instead of being released automatically at the half-way point – or even earlier in some cases – offenders should have to comply with prison rules and join rehabilitation programmes before they can get out.
The system of ‘earned release’ will, the report argues, help keep order in prison and encourage inmates to mend their ways.
Mr Herbert also proposes a new ‘semi-custodial’ sentence which could replace some short sentences.
Instead of going to prison for six months or less, criminals would be allowed to stay out during the week but be locked up at the weekend.
Anyone who broke the rules would automatically be hauled back in to jail full time.
Mr Herbert said: ‘Too often, sentences fail to reduce re-offending, with criminals receiving one conviction after another, yet fewer of these hardened offenders are now being sent to jail.
‘Even when they are handed down a prison term, they can be released automatically half-way through their sentence, or even earlier with a tag.
Boris Johnson is considering plans to make criminals ‘earn’ their release from prison as he prepares to announce a crackdown on crime next week. A major report written by a former policing minister proposes a raft of criminal justice reforms including more ‘honest’ sentencing and an end to automatic release from jail
‘Public confidence is seriously eroded by this practice. We need honesty in sentencing, giving courts and prison governors new powers to control the violent, repeat criminals who reoffend at the highest rate.
‘Automatic early release should be replaced by earned release, so that the behaviour and risk posed by a prisoner determines whether or not they can be released before the end of their full term.’
Last weekend, Home Secretary Priti Patel signalled the return of zero- tolerance policing to make criminals ‘feel terror’ on the streets.
In her first interview as Home Secretary she told the Mail she would restore flagging public confidence in law and order by ‘empowering’ officers to go after thugs.
She added: ‘Offenders should be fearful of committing any criminal activities on our streets.
‘Quite frankly, with more police officers out there and greater police presence, I want them to literally feel terror at the thought of committing offences.’
Miss Patel also warned chief constables not to ‘turn a blind eye’ to cannabis offences.
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