I did ten years as a magistrate and probably sent fewer than 30 people to prison in that period - most of the time it is not necessary but when clearly essential it is extremely difficult.
Everything may point to custody; no remorse; failure to respond to countless community punishments and seriousness of the offences to boot. But forget it. There are 'guidelines' in place to ensure that you do not jail people, even for quite serious, anti-social behaviour. I would willingly have imposed custody on perhaps, four times more occasions than I did.
"So how come prisons are overflowing?" I hear you ask. Well,when you ignore the moderately serious without putting a check on behaviour, unsurprisingly, the average offender moves up the scale and eventually a great many have then to be imprisoned by Crown Court.
Yesterday, a government advisory body, evidently with the brief to reduce the number of prisoners, announced that 'guidelines' should be adjusted yet again so that shoplifters are never be jailed - even as repeat offenders. Stark, staring bonkers!
When will they get the message that they are simply making the situation worse and worse? They must prove to offenders with sentencing that being a criminal is just not worth it.
