Thieves
and fraudsters should not be jailed, a legal expert has said.
In a pamphlet released by the Howard League
for Penal Reform, Prof Andrew Ashworth said jail should be reserved for
offenders who commit crimes of a violent, sexual or threatening nature.
Fines and community sentences would
be more effective for others and reduce the prison population in England and
Wales by almost 6,000, he said.
But the government said it had “no
intention” of changing the law.
I’m glad the government have come
out and said that because this is a ridiculous proposal, and it comes from all
people a legal expert.
If this proposal were to be adopted
then there would be absolutely no deterrent for thieves and fraudsters, they
could keep committing the same crimes and never be jailed, you can debate all
you want about whether prison rehabilitates etc. But surely time would be
better spent on making sure prisons do a better job of reforming than removing
it as a sentencing option altogether.
Mind you a system like this is kind
of already in place because not a single banker involved in the financial
crisis is behind bars, and they’ve totally changed, so maybe this proposal isn’t
that radical after all.
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