16/02/05 Cllr Tomlinson Welcomes Conservative Honest Sentencing Policy

Conservative Action On Crime

Cllr Justin Tomlinson, North Swindon's Conservative Parliamentary Candidate, today welcomed planned reforms to Britain's criminal justice system.

Criminals will serve their sentences in full under radical new Conservative proposals to restore faith in Britain’s battered criminal justice system.

Labour’s early release scheme will also be scrapped, Parliament will be given responsibility for approving sentencing guidelines for judges, and an ambitious prison expansion programme will be launched.

The reforms will be part of the latest policy portfolio unveiled by Conservative Leader Michael Howard

At the heart of the package is a promise that an incoming Conservative administration will tackle the country’s crime crisis head-on by ensuring that convicted criminals are not released from prison early to commit more crimes.

Michael Howard said:

 “Honesty matters. A Conservative Government will introduce the principle of honesty in sentencing. Judges will sentence offenders to a minimum and maximum number of years in prison. The minimum sentence will be served in full. Prisoners who behave well and are no longer a danger to the public will be released at the end of their minimum sentence. Prisoners who misbehave in prison or remain a danger to the public will serve their maximum sentence in full.”

And crucially he stated: “When criminals are caught, they need to be punished. We have to send a clear, unequivocal message to criminals – actions have consequences. If you commit crime you will be punished. For some first time offenders that may mean a caution: for drug addicts, rehabilitation.

“But persistent and dangerous criminals should be sent to prison. The public needs protection from them. It is important to remember that a hard core of persistent criminals commit most of the crime in Britain today. If they are in prison they cannot commit more crime against the public.”

The Opposition Leader buttressed the reforms in criminal justice with a pledge on prison building. “Build more prisons and fewer criminals will be free to commit crime. It’s common sense. Prison also sends a powerful message to those outside prison – crime doesn’t pay. The cost to society of failing to take action is far greater than the actual cost of building prisons. More prisons places will enable a Conservative Government to introduce honesty in sentencing," he said.

And criticising current sentencing policy as a charade, he declared: “In fact it’s worse than that. It’s a lie. Everyone knows that prisoners rarely if ever serve the sentences that are handed out by the judges. Criminals sentenced to less that four years are automatically out after serving just half their sentence. If you are sentenced to over four years you can get out at the half way mark – and are automatically released after two thirds of your sentence. Nothing does more to undermine confidence in our criminal justice system than victims seeing offenders walk free from prison having served as little as half their sentence.”

Attacking the decline of individually responsibility, the proliferation of so-called ‘human rights’, and society’s failure to draw a clear distinction between right and wrong, Mr Howard warned that Britain has been left in a moral quagmire – unable to get a grip on rising crime and disorder.

“Labour’s decision that shoplifters should be let off with a fixed penalty fine sums up the whole problem. Just think about it: a shoplifter steals from a shop and all he or she gets is a fine – the same as we all get for parking on a yellow line. That tells you quite a lot about society today – and certainly all you need to know about Mr Blair and his values. It’s little wonder most people think that our country is heading in the wrong direction,” he said.