Should Jail terms of six months or less should be scrapped?
 

Ministers consider ending jail terms of six months or less.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-46847162

https://www.politicshome.com/news/ne...isons-minister

Re: Should Jail terms of six months or less should be scrapped?
 

No use unless there are the resources to educate the offender to reduce re-offending and offer support in the community for re-engagement . This Government seems unwilling to fund such programmes.

Re: Should Jail terms of six months or less should be scrapped?
 

Jail sentences of two years or under are a waste of time, if you want the sharp shock to end recidivism amongst first time offenders the sentence has to be above two years, it's been statistically proven, I'd go one future to and say if it were up to me no one would be released until they can read and write to a level where they can get by in every day life

Re: Should Jail terms of six months or less should be scrapped?
 

"Education through incarceration" does not work in most cases I read years ago. So why not a return to short sentences that offenders won't want to risk because they involve hard labour with zero comfort?

Oh yeah, the liberal lawyers and their supporters would have a field day and large fees paid by the taxpayers.

Re: Should Jail terms of six months or less should be scrapped?
 

They're not doing a degree in there, just being able to give themselves a chance and if hard labour and harsh conditions worked how come we still had plenty of crime years ago, I know we're in a post fact world now but the evidence is out there, short sentences don't work

Re: Should Jail terms of six months or less should be scrapped?
 

The problem nowadays is that you can commit dozens of crimes, be found guilty and still avoid jail.


Assuming for the sake of argument, that jailing somebody doesn't prevent reoffending, then not jailing definitely won't prevent reoffending.


If somebody nowadays got 19 years, or even just 19 months for stealing a loaf of bread, then the incidence of shoplifting would plummet.

Re: Should Jail terms of six months or less should be scrapped?
 

Willie Whitelaw tried the 'short, sharp shock' regime not long after Thatcher became PM. It was found that all it did was make criminals fitter and faster when committing crimes upon their release!

One problem with imprisonment is that new inmates get taught the tricks of the trade by the older, more experienced, prisoners.

Re: Should Jail terms of six months or less should be scrapped?
 

Community service seems to work better at reducing re-offending. So as an alternative it appears to be a reasonable idea. However, I would think there are some crimes that would not be appropriate for a non custodial sentence.

Re: Should Jail terms of six months or less should be scrapped?
 

Prisons? what prisons?


oh, you mean the luxury long stay holiday hotels provided by the government :mad:

Re: Should Jail terms of six months or less should be scrapped?
 

I know someone who is a prison officer in a jail near me, and it's no holiday camp.

Re: Should Jail terms of six months or less should be scrapped?
 

By getting rid of Jail terms of six months or less its basically a carte blanche invitation for some criminals to make hay as they know its highly likely they won't be facing a custodial sentence for their crimes.

Re: Should Jail terms of six months or less should be scrapped?
 

Same here. I asked her about TV's, PlayStations and she said that these are privileges that can be taken away for bad behaviour and they have to pay for them out of their wages.

If they don't work or misbehave, they can't have luxury items.

Even those who do sometimes ask her what she's doing in the evening and when she tells them they look sad and upset that they are incarcerated, which shows that being locked up is more of a punishment than is realised by inmates and the public.

A reformed ex inmate called Jack Hill has done some interesting videos on YouTube, he answers questions and tells it how it is. He covers everything from violence, food, sex in prison and the humiliating clothes that they are made to wear:

https://m.youtube.com/user/DrunkerJack1

In essence I agree, it's no holiday camp.

Re: Should Jail terms of six months or less should be scrapped?
 

Sounds like one of my kids explaining the house rules

Re: Should Jail terms of six months or less should be scrapped?
 

Wouldn't public floggings be a suitable alternative? :erm:

Cheaper too. :D

Re: Should Jail terms of six months or less should be scrapped?
 

No, the terms on some should be doubled and made consecutive, so murders/rapists/paedos, serve a lot longer.

Perhaps life should mean life, a few 700 year terms with no parole (Like the yanks) are needed.

Re: Should Jail terms of six months or less should be scrapped?
 

The USA has the highest incarceration rate in the world, so not sure what they do has a deterrent effect...

Re: Should Jail terms of six months or less should be scrapped?
 

This was a interesting article about America's high incarceration rate.

https://edition.cnn.com/2018/06/28/u...cts/index.html

Re: Should Jail terms of six months or less should be scrapped?
 

You know why they give those sentences because their appeals system has multiple layers, all of which can take time of, their parole system allows you to go before the panel after serving 20% of your sentence, like most things politicians are involved with they're designed to mostly make them look good, like they're tough on crime, scratching the surface reveals it's not as simple as that or as honest

They've also got a terrible rate of recidivism mainly because due to inmates becoming institutionalised due to violence. I have long suspected nothing is done about it on purpose by those running prisons, a rehabilitated person won't be going back and won't be making money for them anymore. Much like their health system why anyone would choose to follow their penal system is beyond me

Re: Should Jail terms of six months or less should be scrapped?
 

I do know the the USA locks up more people that the Chinese, but this is due to the 3 strikes policy.

But then they execute people for the worst crimes.

Re: Should Jail terms of six months or less should be scrapped?
 

Plus the use of chain gangs... get them out cleaning the bloody streets.

Re: Should Jail terms of six months or less should be scrapped?
 

Me thinks that abolishing the short term sentences are being looked at because they can mean the prisoner loses much - family, job, home - and also "learns" in gaol how to do the bad things better.

The upshot is that it doesn't reform the criminal but makes them worse. So someone given a few weeks for shoplifting comes out more likely to repeat or escalate.

Habitual criminals can and should be sentenced to imprisonment but that likely should be longer term.

For some cultures that have an honour/shame motivation some form of public shaming could work better than a simple punishment.

Re: Should Jail terms of six months or less should be scrapped?
 

Where there currently is a less than 6 month sentence, we are talking about people who are not exactly first-time offenders, so the argument of making them worse is nonsense.


There has to be a deterrent effect of some sort.


What do you do when they don't obey the community order or whatever?
Examples from website of my local newspaper(names and addresses omitted).
Unless they're jailed for more than 6 months, a community/supervision order is meaningless

Re: Should Jail terms of six months or less should be scrapped?
 

I think that's the point. The term should be longer than 12 months (6 months) as short term sentences have all the minuses and none (or very few) of the pluses.

Short term does not give the system time to meet with the offender and work through issues - maybe including treatment.

If the difference between a fine and a term in gaol is bigger it could mean less failing to comply.

Re: Should Jail terms of six months or less should be scrapped?
 

Another problem is the different 'types' of crime - as dealt with in law (or whatever).

You get a jail term for non payment of certain things (council tax used to be one) yet not for stealing cars or burglary.

System needs an update IMO

I agree with the ministers!!

They dont have enough room now to put people..... Get rid of all but the most serious offenders!!

Re: Should Jail terms of six months or less should be scrapped?
 

I agree with scrapping it.

Military type boot camps for under 25’s. & Orange boiler suit community service for everyone else.

Re: Should Jail terms of six months or less should be scrapped?
 

Pink surely for the maximum humiliation. ;)

Re: Should Jail terms of six months or less should be scrapped?
 

People pay a fortune to get sprayed orange.;)

Re: Should Jail terms of six months or less should be scrapped?
 

yes but Trump can afford it :)

Re: Should Jail terms of six months or less should be scrapped?
 

I think everyone is missing why this has come up in the news in the first place.

Don;t kid yourselves, its numbers pure and simple, currently the prisons are struggling, they are full, likely overfull.

Mrs May's wonderful cut back decision making process has resulted in prison officers leaving in droves and you're hearing quite often now of places where the prisons are simply not in control.

I wonder what % of prisoner total is made up by the 6 month or less lot?

It certainly will thin out the population somewhat, and every little helps currently.

Re: Should Jail terms of six months or less should be scrapped?
 

There is a country whose name escapes me ATM but they defer prision sentaces for non violent / low risk crimes and you get a letter telling you when to report to a certian prison.

We should adopt this method.