Police have been told by government that paedophiles caught with indecent child abuse images can receive conditional cautions instead of jail as police struggle to cope with an explosion of cases.
Amid a 700 per cent rise in cases referred to police, the Ministry of Justice said some low-risk offenders could be given cautions with tough conditions aimed at rehabilitation.
The move has been promoted by police chiefs who say they are “overwhelmed” by the surge in cases and claim jail offers no chance of rehabilitation to prevent re-offending.
It comes ahead of Home Secretary Sajid Javid’s showdown with social media bosses in the US next week over the tech giants’ efforts to prevent images getting online in the first place. Telegraph.
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