We’re not greatly happy with the idea of short jail sentences. A few weeks here or there seems enough to bugger up a life without acting as all that great a deterrent. Well, unless we think that buggering up a life, losing jobs, housing, families even, is just the sort of deterrent we need. Which, to someone in a comfortable middle class life it might be – who wouldn’t be deterred by a life turned upside down?
The lumpenproletariat who make up our habitual criminal classes have rather more chaotic lives in the first place, the deterrent effect of a couple of months pokey might not be there. Actually, given reoffending rates, almost certainly isn’t there.
If jail was what someone got for screwing up – shoplifting some food to pap for the starving babbies – then that would all be fair enough. The ill effects might outweigh the good and therefore we’ll not do this.
However, that’s not quite the case:
[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””] Criminals jailed for six months or less have committed more than 50 previous offences on average, new figures show in a blow to Ministry of Justice (MoJ) plans to abolish short sentences. Offenders sentenced to immediate custodial terms of up to six months in England and Wales had on average 55.9 previous offences resulting in convictions or cautions, according to MoJ data. The figures – released in parliamentary answers – also showed offenders locked up for six months or less had on average been given five previous community sentences. [/perfectpullquote]Those who do get jugged for these short sentences seem not to be first time offenders, nor those caught in too severe a system. They in fact seem to be the habitual criminals of the lumpenproletariat.
Which leaves us with something of a problem really. Jail only happens when all the non-jail options have been tried but which don’t seem to have altered behaviour. So, if we don’t jug them then what the hell do we do to the buggers?
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"...So, if we don’t jug them then what the hell do we do to the buggers?..."
Current thinking seems to be to make them MPs...
A pity we no longer have the option of transportation to Australia.
Surely the Brits could still find some remote remnant of the Empire. There are several in the Caribbean. Some less glamorous places might include The Falklands, Pitcairn Island, Tristan de Cunha, or that old standby, Saint Helena.
Why not imprison them for seven months?
I was being facetious when I said sentence them to seven months. But seriously, I think that all we have to do is get rid of concurrent sentences and make them serve their terms consecutively. After all, they committed them separately.
Then we kill all the judges:)
Or, if that’s too Ecksian, we have the Supreme Court review them and remove those who put felz above lawz. God knows, we have enough Law Lords, why not put them to use? Make it a public review of course. The law must be seen to be done, not just one hand washing the other.
Lots of these tykes will be going through the local mags on charges where the sentence "guidelines" will be 6 months or less OR the actual law mandates a maximum sentence of 6 or less.Thus they get a suspended, or community or a fine. Which is then ignored and the reprobate is brought in by Plod to face the beak and the whole sorry mess starts again....
Three strikes and you're out would provide some deterrent to the lumpenproletariat.
This isn't always the case. Remember the Labour MP jailed for trying to pervert the course of justice by lying about speeding recently?
It is also the case that although non-custodial sentences frequently don't change behaviour, they are still slightly more likely to than custodial sentences which suffer from an even higher rate of recidivism. The problem with short prison sentences is a combination of the fact that recidivism is more likely and that they are far more expensive for the taxpayer.
We should cut out nearly all short sentences and work on making non-custodial sentences more effective than at present.
But the con-custodial sentences require a very expensive parole system.
That's true, but it's still a lot less expensive than jail.
Decriminalise the sale and consumption of traditional recreational drugs, decriminalise sharing premises for the sale of sexy times, reverse the bans on khat and modern mood altering drugs ( thank the Coalition and Conservatives for those monstrous laws ), and permit smoking and shoelaces in prisons.
Suicidal maniacs who get their wishes by their own actions aren't going to re-offend.
Oh and make the basic stuff that people on low incomes buy to get by cheaper - so devolve planning and minimum wage setting to LAs, reduce taxes on housing supply, and get rid of the modern day Corn Laws on food and electricity.
And repeal the vagrancy act, and permit people to sleep in cars in tolerated zones.