A proposal for tougher penalties for knife
crime has sparked a row between Liberal Democrats and Conservatives.
Justice Secretary Chris Grayling wants to impose a mandatory six-month
jail term for any adult convicted of a second offence involving a knife.
But senior Lib Dems argue judges should be trusted to use their
discretion.
The problem with the Lib Dems side of the argument
is that when judges use their discretion they usually hand out soft sentences
that have people up in arms and complaining that they’ve been far too lenient,
only for the judge to hit back and say well it’s not my fault I was just
following what the law says.
So why not make it so that when judges do use their
discretion there is a tougher better law in place so that they aren’t criticised
for failing to punish offenders properly, that to me sounds better than leaving
things as they currently are.
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