Latest news with #repeatoffenders
Telegraph
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Jenrick: Prosecutors must push for harsher knife crime sentences
Crown prosecutors are not 'playing their part' in stopping courts giving unduly lenient sentences for knife crime, Robert Jenrick has claimed. The shadow justice secretary wrote to Stephen Parkinson, the head of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), calling for urgent action on the record number of repeat knife offenders escaping jail. He said Ministry of Justice (MoJ) figures, revealed last week by The Telegraph, showed only 54.8 per cent of repeat knife offenders had been jailed in the last quarter of last year – the lowest proportion on record. This was despite a 2015 law 'expressly mandating' that all repeat offenders should be imprisoned unless there were 'genuinely exceptional circumstances'. It came with an independent review of sentencing commissioned by the Government due to be published on Thursday. The review is expected to pave the way for offenders to be released as early as one third of the way through their sentences, if they behave well. It will also scrap jail sentences of under one year except in exceptional circumstances and propose greater use of community punishments with an expansion of the use of electronic tags. Mr Jenrick wrote: 'Sentencing is of course a matter for judges. However, I am concerned that the CPS is not playing its part in upholding the law by routinely challenging unduly lenient sentences. 'When a statute lays down a mandatory minimum, failure to impose that sentence is not a matter of discretion but of error, and surely demands appeals. 'The law was designed to break the cycle of violence. Instead, only 27.9 per cent of knife offenders are jailed, the lowest figure since records began, while knife crime itself has reached a near-record high. 'The deterrent value of custodial sentencing has been severely eroded and one can only conclude that this has fuelled spiralling violence on our streets. 'When the CPS declines to appeal cases in which Parliament's will has plainly been ignored [that] offends the rule of law.' Mr Jenrick asked what steps the CPS was taking to ensure prosecutors identified knife crime sentences which fell below the statutory minimum, and referred them to appeal. The CPS said there was no clear legal avenue to challenge cases, as knife crime was not one of the offences covered by the Government's Unduly Lenient Sentence (ULS) scheme. The ULS is the formal process by which individuals or organisations can ask the Attorney General to refer cases to the court of appeal for the judges to consider whether sentences should be toughened. A CPS spokesman said: 'The CPS has no role in handing down sentences and they can only be appealed if they are covered by the ULS scheme – which these knife offences are not. 'Our prosecutors never hesitate to refer eligible cases for appeal where the punishment doesn't fit the crime.' The proportion of offenders sent to prison after being convicted of knife crime stood at 27.9 per cent in the last quarter of last year, down from a peak of 42.9 per cent in 2020, despite knife crime hitting near-record levels, according to Ministry of Justice data. It comes just a month after figures showed knife crime increased by two per cent to 54,587 offences in a year, 600 short of the all-time high. Nine forces, including the Metropolitan Police, the biggest in England and Wales, reported record levels.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Minnesota Senate passes stricter DWI rules for repeat offenders
The Brief The Minnesota Senate passed a bill reforming DWI laws after a fatal crash at Park Tavern in St. Louis Park involving a repeat offender. The legislation extends the DWI "lookback" period from 10 to 20 years, eases ignition interlock program entry, and increases license revocation times for serious DWI offenses. The bill now awaits Governor Walz's approval. ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Minnesota is set to put in place tougher laws targeting repeat DWI offenders following the deadly crash at the Park Tavern in St. Louis Park last year. What we know On Saturday, the Minnesota Senate approved a conference committee report to reform the state's DWI policies. The legislation, authored by Senator Ron Latz (DFL-St. Louis Park), aims to prevent repeat offenders from driving under the influence. This legislation comes in response to a tragic crash at Park Tavern in St. Louis Park last September. The backstory Earlier this month, Steven Bailey pleaded guilty to two counts of third-degree murder in the Park Tavern crash. Authorities said Bailey tested more than four times over the limit, with a blood-alcohol level of .325, after he crashed into the tavern's patio space in September 2024. Video showed Bailey driving his vehicle, attempting to back into a parking spot, but hitting another car. Then, as he pulled out of the spot, police say the vehicle accelerated into the patio area, where a group of Methodist Hospital workers had gathered for the night. The crash left two people dead and a dozen others hurt. Dig deeper The new bill changes the following: It extends the "lookback" period for prior offenses from ten to 20 years. The legislation modifies requirements for participation in the ignition interlock program, aiming to make it easier for individuals to enroll. It also lengthens the license revocation period for individuals who commit criminal vehicular homicide or criminal vehicular operation, particularly when the person has a prior DWI-related incident. What's next The bill now heads to Gov. Walz's desk for approval.
