Prison term should mean just that!
originally published:
5th November 2009
Offenders should serve the full prison term handed down by courts to restore faith among victims, Sara Payne, the country’s first Victims’ Champion, said.
Mrs Payne, whose daughter Sarah was murdered by paedophile Roy Whiting in 2000, also attacked as “totally unacceptable” and “deeply wrong” that some “plainly criminal” offences are being treated as anti-social behaviour instead of being prosecuted.
In her first report since taking up the role last year, she warned the victim has been overlooked in a criminal justice system that focusing catching criminals and protecting the public. Calling for clearer sentencing, she said whatever sentence a victim hears from a judge should be the time the criminal spends behind bars.
A prisoner, on average, serves around half their time in jail and the rest on licence. At the very least, judges should spell out the exact amount of time a criminal will spend in prison when passing sentence, she said.
In her report, which followed a nine month review, Mrs Payne said: “I feel very strongly, as do the majority of people I met, both victims and professionals, that if an offender is sentenced to, for example, 12 years it is reasonable for anyone viewing that sentence to expect an offender to be in custody for 12 years.”
