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Labour to abolish most short prison sentences in England and Wales (www.theguardian.com)

submitted 5 days ago by Davriellelouna@lemmy.world to c/unitedkingdom@feddit.uk

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[–] AMoralNihilist@feddit.uk 8 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Prisons don't really do much to deter crimes with short sentences anyway. And they often result in people just getting more damaged and more likely to commit more crime.

Most crimes which carry short sentences should be handled through probation and social support (not financial obviously).

Community service is a classic punishment which I think makes good sense for nonviolent crime.

A bigger problem is the inability to sentence violent offenders to lengthy stays in prisons. And of course the lack of rehabilitation in those prisons.

[–] rollin@piefed.social 2 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Community service is a classic punishment which I think makes good sense for nonviolent crime.

It should be a good option, but it's more difficult to run effectively than it might appear. The ideal would be for it not to be purely punitive, but to offer in itself some level of rehabilitation. For instance, a bike thief might be sentenced to helping out in a community bike workshop, or someone who committed low-level fraud might be required to help poor people manage their finances.

At the moment the reality is quite different I think, and people end up being sentenced to pointless busywork. I know someone who was given a community sentence for fighting and he described it as a bit of a joke. Every Saturday, they were supposed to clean up litter from grass verges, but the main issue was no one wanted to be there, not least the supervisor. So they'd generally just mess around for a bit and go home early.

[–] AMoralNihilist@feddit.uk 3 points 4 days ago

Oh for sure, effective rehab programs need a decent chunk of funding. And they are expensive until they start paying for themselves years or even decades down the line. And their benefits are typically indirect so they are very hard to actually measure their success.

But it's shown time and time again that the current system doesn't work. And I would rather we spend what little money we have getting rapists longer sentences than thieves and vandals.

[–] Brunbrun6766@lemmy.world 11 points 5 days ago

I'm imagining it now "we've eliminated all 1-5 year sentences and made them all a minimum of 6 years!"

[–] steeznson@lemmy.world 7 points 5 days ago

It sounds like the prison system is at capacity but idk if this is the right move for them politically.

We don't need to do Broken Window Theory but there has to be a repercussion for low level crime, otherwise the perception amongst the public is going to be that crime has got much worse. Most serious crime is going to be invisible to the general public so even if we throw the book at those criminals the perception won't change.

[–] Highstronaught@feddit.uk 6 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

Correct me if im wrong but aren't all the possible prison sentences for people supporting Palestine action less than 1 year. Will they be eliminated or extended so everyone gets at least a year for holding a card?

[–] Old_Bald_Bloke@feddit.uk 1 points 5 days ago

Does this mean it will be just politicians and CEOs in gaol