Westcountryman

Source: Most criminals avoid court with 'slap on wrist' - Telegraph

The number of criminals dealt with by "slap on the wrist" punishments outside court has overtaken convictions for the first time, figures showed yesterday.

Last year, the number of offenders convicted in court fell to 49 per cent of the total of "offenders brought to justice", the first time it had slipped below 50 per cent.

Convictions in court, which carry a criminal record, accounted for only 12 per cent of the 5.4 million crimes recorded by police last year.

Criminal Statistics 2006 - a report released yesterday by the Ministry of Justice - showed that 1,426,000 offences were dealt with by some form of judicial disposal, the definition of the Government's "offences brought to justice" measure.

The report pointed out that the total rose from 1,330,000 in the previous year and outstripped the Government target of 1.25 million.

However, the Tories claimed that this increase did not mean more criminals were being brought to court. The number of convictions dropped by 14,000 to 694,00 in the year to March, compared with the previous 12 months.

The statistics prompted Tory criticism that the Government was boosting the total of offences brought to justice with "slap on the wrist" punishments at the expense of "real justice" for victims.

There was a 37 per cent rise in Penalty Notices for Disorder (PNDs) - fines, usually of £80, for offences from shoplifting to drunkenness. There were about 201,000 - many issued to young people - and only half were paid in full without court enforcement, the aim of the penalties.

Warnings for cannabis possession rose by 26 per cent to 83,000 and cautions rose by 15 per cent to just under 380,000.

PNDs, cannabis warnings and cautions are not criminal convictions. However cautions do form part of a person's criminal record and would need to be declared to employers.

David Davis, the shadow home secretary, said: "The Government's own report shows that their claims to be getting tough on crime are based on fiddled figures. Victims of crime want to see real justice. This involves offenders being prosecuted, punished and rehabilitated. They do not want to see offenders let off with a slap on the wrist or given a fine that half of them do not pay.

"In tackling the scourge of crime, Labour are part of the problem, not the solution. This is because their solution is to fiddle the figures by giving out non-punishments."

Last year, 962,000 offenders were fined, 191,000 given community sentences and 96,000 handed custodial sentences.

As in previous years, the statistics disclose that cautions have been used at times for serious offences. There were 24 cautions for rapists, although these were in exceptional circumstances - usually in cases involving under-aged sex.

• Magistrates are to be stripped of the ability to issue suspended jail sentences in "summary-only" cases, which include assault and public order offences. The Government wants magistrates to hand out more community sentences.

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The government's record on crime is starting to become beyond a joke. Target-led policing doesn't work, 'hate' crime is a joke, sentences that are given are a joke - if criminals even make it to Court at all.

It's about time the 'big 3' took crime seriously. More prison places, longer sentencing for criminals - particularly violent crimes - and repeat offenders should be locked away for near-eternity.

There's little evidence to suggest community sentences lower re-offending rates. Giving fines for an increasing amount of crimes is a joke. At least prison has the benefit of keeping undesirables off the street, where they can't do anyone any harm.

Playstations and TVs should be taken out of prisons and there should be a return to punishment in addition to rehabilitation.

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Manus haec inimica tyrannis ense petit placidam sub libertate quietam - "This hand of mine, which is hostile to tyrants, seeks by the sword quiet peace under liberty."

Smidgey

I have nothing wrong with drug users who have taken part in a consensual act being let off (I don't even think they should have been given a warning or a caution). Anywho, I would like to see what the total breakdown of the crimes people are in prison for - I'm sure there are many who shouldn't really be there if we had a just society.

We should be filling the jails with these louts who destroy people's property or harm others, not with people who have harmed no-one.

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How vain is man, who boasts in fight the valour of gigantic might!

-Georg Friedrich Händel

mkpdavies

My wife got a slap on the wrists today.

One of the traffic Stasi/Community busybodies reported her car as going over 30 MPH (on a long, wide straight road but with houses on each side).

No picture to prove this. No reading of what speed she was supposed to have been doing.

Just a snotty letter telling her not to do it again and it would have been 6 points and a fine if real stormtroopers had caught her.

Thing is, she remembers the time it happened and the fact the bloke that wrote her number down, didn't even use his "gun".

What is the point of this ****? Do they think anyone will give two figs about a letter, based on the allegations of some jumped up little Hitler, with nothing better to do with his time?

Or is this just buttering us up for a more powerful future Stasi?

Sadly my wife won't let me write back to them.

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