Latest news with #sentencingpolicy
Sky News
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Chemical castration for sex offenders under new plans to reduce prison population
Sex offenders could face chemical castration and thousands of offenders will be released after serving a third of their jail term, under plans proposed in a sentencing policy review set to be accepted by ministers. The independent review, led by the former justice secretary David Gauke, was commissioned by the government amid an overcrowding crisis in prisons in England and Wales. It has made a series of recommendations with the aim of reducing the prison population by 9,800 people by 2028. The key proposal, which it is understood the government will implement, is a "progression model" - which would see offenders who behave well in jail only serve a third of their term in custody, before being released. The measure will apply to people serving standard determinate sentences, which is the most common type of jail term, being served by the majority of offenders. It will be based on sentence length, rather than offence type. That means sex offenders and domestic abusers serving sentences of under four years, could all be eligible for early release. The policy will mean inmates serve only a third of their sentence in prison, a third on licence in the community, with the remaining portion under no probation supervision at all. If the offender committed further offences in the "at risk" - or final - stages of their sentence, once out of prison, they would be sent back to jail to serve the remainder of the original sentence, plus time inside jail for the new offence. Chemical castration trial could be extended The government will also further the use of medication to suppress the sexual drive of sex offenders, which is currently being piloted in southwest England. The review recommended that chemical castration "may assist in management of suitable sex offenders both in prison and in the community". Ministers are to announce plans for a nationwide rollout, and will first expand the use of the medication to 20 prisons across England. The justice secretary is also considering whether to make castration mandatory. It's currently voluntary. Mr Gauke, the chair of the independent sentencing review, told Sky News that "drugs that reduce sexual desire" will not be "appropriate for every sexual offender". "I'm not going to claim it's the answer for everything," the former justice secretary said. "This is about reducing the risk of re-offending in future. "There are some sex offenders who want to reduce their desires and if we can explore this, I think that is something that's worthwhile." However, Mr Gauke stressed that the government needs to focus on "reducing crime overall". 12:16 Domestic abuse commissioner criticises plans Under his recommendations, violent offenders who are serving sentences of four years or more could be released on licence after spending half of their sentence behind bars. This could be extended if they do not comply with prison rules. These prisoners would then be supervised in the community until 80% of their sentence. In response to the review, the police have warned: "Out of prison should not mean out of control." "If we are going to have fewer people in prison, we need to ensure that we collectively have the resources and powers to manage the risk offenders pose outside of prison," said Chief Constable Sacha Hatchett at the National Police Chiefs Council. The domestic abuse commissioner for England and Wales, Nicole Jacobs, said adopting the measures would amount to "watering down" the criminal justice system. "By adopting these measures the government will be sending a clear message to domestic abusers that they can now offend with little consequence," she said. In a set of proposals considered to be the biggest overhaul of sentencing power laws since the 1990s, judges could be given more flexibility to punish lower level offenders with bans on football or driving. The review has also recommended that short sentences should only be used in "exceptional circumstances", suggesting they are "associated with higher proven reoffending" and "fall short in providing meaningful rehabilitation to offenders". 2:25 The Howard League for Penal Reform has welcomed the proposals as a "good start". "This is a vital review that makes the case for change by focusing on the evidence on what will reduce reoffending and prevent more people becoming victims of crime," said chief executive Andrea Coomber. David Gauke's review has called on the government to "invest" in a probation service that is "under significant strain", as its proposals recommend a larger number of offenders should be punished and supervised in the community. "Tagging can be a useful way to monitor offenders and identify escalating risks," it said. The government is set to invest a further £700m in the probation service and introduce a mass expansion of tagging technology, where tens of thousands of criminals will be monitored at any one time, creating a "prison outside of a prison", with the help of US tech companies. 'Overriding concerns' The Victims Commissioner, Baroness Newlove, has expressed an "overriding concern" about the ability of an "already stretched probation service" to "withstand the additional pressure" of managing a larger number of people outside of prison. The policy review also makes recommendations around offenders that are recalled to prison after breaching their licence conditions. Currently, around 15% of those behind bars are there because they have been recalled. Mostly, it's for breaching of licence conditions, rather than further offences. The review recommends a "tighter threshold" for recall so that it is "only used to address consistent non-compliance", with licence conditions - which can include missing a probation appointment. Last week the government announced plans that will see offenders serving one to four-year sentences held for a fixed 28-day period if they are returned to jail. The review suggests increasing that limit to 56 days, in order to "allow sufficient time for planning around appropriate conditions for safe re-release into community supervision". The government is expected to accept the review's key measures, and implement them with a sentencing bill before parliament. The plans will likely require legislation and only be before the courts by the spring of 2026.
Sky News
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Sex offenders could face chemical castration under plans in sentencing review
Sex offenders could face chemical castration and thousands of offenders will be released after serving a third of their jail term, under plans proposed in a sentencing policy review set to be accepted by ministers. The independent review, led by the former justice secretary David Gauke, was commissioned by the government amid an overcrowding crisis in prisons in England and Wales. It has made a series of recommendations with the aim of reducing the prison population by 9,800 people, by 2028. The key proposal, which it is understood the government will implement, is a "progression model" - which would see offenders who behave well in jail only serve a third of their term in custody, before being released. The measure will apply to people serving standard determinate sentences, which is the most common type of jail term, being served by the majority of offenders. It will be based on sentence length, rather than offence type. That means sex offenders and domestic abusers serving sentences of under four years, could all be eligible for early release. The policy will mean inmates serve only a third of their sentence in prison, a third on licence in the community, with the remaining portion under no probation supervision at all. If the offender committed further offences in the "at risk" - or final - stages of their sentence, once out of prison, they would be sent back to jail to serve the remainder of the original sentence, plus time inside jail for the new offence. Chemical castration trial could be extended The government will also further the use of medication to suppress the sexual drive of sex offenders, which is currently being piloted in southwest England. The review recommended that chemical castration "may assist in management of suitable sex offenders both in prison and in the community". Ministers are to announce plans for a nationwide rollout, and will first expand the use of the medication to 20 prisons across England. The justice secretary is also considering whether to make castration mandatory. It's currently voluntary. Violent offenders who are serving sentences of four years or more could be released on licence after spending half of their sentence behind bars. This could be extended if they do not comply with prison rules. These prisoners would then be supervised in the community until 80% of their sentence. 12:16 Domestic abuse commissioner criticises plans In response to the review, the police have warned: "Out of prison should not mean out of control." "If we are going to have fewer people in prison, we need to ensure that we collectively have the resources and powers to manage the risk offenders pose outside of prison," said Chief Constable Sacha Hatchett at the National Police Chiefs Council. The domestic abuse commissioner for England and Wales, Nicole Jacobs, said adopting the measures would amount to "watering down" the criminal justice system. "By adopting these measures the government will be sending a clear message to domestic abusers that they can now offend with little consequence," she said. In a set of proposals considered to be the biggest overhaul of sentencing powers laws since the 1990s, judges could be given more flexibility to punish lower level offenders with bans on football or driving. The review has also recommended that short sentences should only be used in "exceptional circumstances", suggesting they are "associated with higher proven reoffending" and "fall short in providing meaningful rehabilitation to offenders". 2:25 The Howard League for Penal Reform has welcomed the proposals as a "good start". "This is a vital review that makes the case for change by focusing on the evidence on what will reduce reoffending and prevent more people becoming victims of crime," said chief executive Andrea Coomber. David Gauke's review has called on the government to "invest" in a probation service that is "under significant strain", as its proposals recommend a larger number of offenders should be punished and supervised in the community. "Tagging can be a useful way to monitor offenders and identify escalating risks," it said. The government is set to invest a further £700m in the probation service and introduce a mass expansion of tagging technology, where tens of thousands of criminals will be monitored at any one time, creating a "prison outside of a prison", with the help of US tech companies. 'Overriding concerns' The Victims Commissioner, Baroness Newlove, has expressed an "overriding concern" about the ability of an "already stretched probation service" to "withstand the additional pressure" of managing a larger number of people outside of prison. The policy review also makes recommendations around offenders that are recalled to prison after breaching their licence conditions. Currently, around 15% of those behind bars are there because they have been recalled. Mostly, it's for breaching of licence conditions, rather than further offences. The review recommends a "tighter threshold" for recall so that it is "only used to address consistent non-compliance", with licence conditions - which can include missing a probation appointment. Last week the government announced plans that will see offenders serving one to four year sentences held for a fixed 28 day period if they are returned to jail. The review suggests increasing that limit to 56 days, in order to "allow sufficient time for planning around appropriate conditions for safe re-release into community supervision". The government is expected to accept the review's key measures, and implement them with a sentencing bill before parliament. The plans will likely require legislation and only be before the courts by the Spring of 2026.
Sky News
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Criminals including sex offenders could be released from prison early
Criminals, including sex offenders and domestic abusers, could be released from prison after serving a third of their sentence to free up space in overcrowded jails, according to proposals in a sentencing policy review. Sky News understands this is to be part of a series of measures the former Conservative justice secretary, David Gauke, who's been leading the independent review, will recommend to the Government on Thursday as a way of easing prison overcrowding. The measure will apply to people serving standard determinate sentences, which is the most common type of jail term. It is based on sentences, rather than offence type. That means violent criminals could also be eligible. 2:25 The policy will mean inmates serve only a third of their sentence in prison, a third on licence in the community, with the remaining portion under no probation supervision at all. If an offender commits further offences in the "at-risk" or final stages of their sentence, once out of prison, they would be sent back to jail to serve the remainder of the original sentence, plus time for the new offence. It's understood that ministers are planning to accept this proposal, among others. The plans will include a tiered approach, with maximum and minimum points at which offenders can be eligible for release after serving a third of their sentence. Length of time spent in prison will vary according to a criminals behaviour. Offenders would only be released at the third-way point if they've behaved well, and engage in rehabilitation and work while in prison. More serious offenders might have a greater minimum period that they are required to spend in jail. This "incentive" or "good behaviour" element mirrors moves made in the US state of Texas, which has helped ease overcrowding. Other proposals set to be accepted include the scrapping of certain short sentences of under 12 months, with tougher community-based alternatives. 2:41 Last week, Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood warned that prisons in England and Wales were due to be completely full by November. Ministers announced that they were to limit the length of time certain offenders who'd been recalled to prison could spend behind bars, to 28 days. It is understood the sentencing review could recommend that should instead be 56 days, in order to provide time to better rehabilitate repeat offenders who are recalled to jail for breaching the conditions of their licence. The proposals aim to reduce the prison population by 9,500 people as jails battle an overcrowding crisis. The male estate is currently 99% full. The Government has said it does not want to pre-empt the outcome of the review, but that it "inherited a justice system in crisis, with prisons days from collapse". A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: "David Gauke is conducting a sentencing review to ensure that we never run out of prison places again, and we are committed to reforming sentencing to ensure our prisons cut crime and keep the public safe."
Telegraph
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Ignore the do-gooders, we need more criminals in prison
The next crisis is already looming. Our prisons are almost full again, and it is a near certainty that there will soon be another mass early release of violent criminals from their prison cells onto our streets. Harold Macmillan once said that 'when all the establishment are united, they are always wrong'. Yet when it comes to prisons and sentencing – amongst the relevant portion of the establishment – there is a cosy consensus at play. Sentencing policy is dominated by those who might be termed the 'prison reform industrial complex' – a small group of charities and individuals who operate in and around prisons. When the Prisons Minister, Lord Timpson, made his maiden speech in the Lords last July, for instance, peer after peer declared an interest in one prison charity or another – rarely straying from the line that we should be incarcerating fewer criminals. This should not come as a shock. These reform organisations want to improve prison conditions. But in practice, what these groups would like to see is for fewer criminals to be sent to prison. Before he became a minister, in an interview last February, Lord Timpson said Britain is 'addicted to punishment' and 'a lot' of people in prison 'shouldn't be there'. Such claims are not supported by the facts – and are at odds with the public mood on crime and how criminals should be dealt with. Astonishingly, the most prolific offenders are sent to prison on less than half (46.2 per cent) the occasions after conviction for a further indictable or either-way offence. Given that last year an estimated 9.6 million crimes were committed in England and Wales – up 14 per cent from the previous year – that is deeply alarming. The current limit on the number of prison places has led to police officers being told to 'pause arrests' and for the judiciary to consider prison capacity limits when sentencing those convicted of criminal offences. One of the Government's key challenges is to show that they understand that people are fundamentally far more threatened by the loss of law and order than arguments around prison reform. Some ministers appear to be wise to this. In her fight with the Sentencing Council over its plans to consider offenders' background when imposing sentences, Shabana Mahmood has shown herself to be willing to face down the 'blob' that permeates so many of our institutions. The Government's current plan – to increase the size of our prison estate by 14,000 places – is welcome too. But the Government must go much further – an extra 43,000 prison places will be needed over the coming decade. It should also rebuild the prison regime so inmates can work and develop meaningful skills while in custody, activities that we know reduce the chances of reoffending on release. A new consensus of decision makers, chosen by voters and doing what the public wants, is emerging. Large rewards lie in store for whoever turns it into a reality.
