Asked by: Kieran Mullan (Conservative - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has plans to bring forward legislative proposals on sentencing for people found guilty of the murder of a child.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Government’s Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts (PCSC) Bill, currently before Parliament, will make essential reforms to sentencing legislation to ensure that criminals face punishments which fit their crimes.
The PCSC Bill has added the murder of a child involving a substantial degree of premeditation to the list of examples where a whole life order is normally the appropriate starting point. The Bill is expected to gain Royal Assent shortly.
The PCSC Bill also includes provisions to increase the maximum penalties for child cruelty offences including causing or allowing the death of a child or vulnerable adult. A consequence of increasing the maximum penalty for that offence from 14 years to life imprisonment is that offenders sentenced to 7 years or more will spend two thirds of the sentence, rather than half, in custody. If the judge determines that the offender is dangerous and the circumstances of the offence are sufficiently serious, a life sentence for that offence will be mandatory.
Asked by: Kieran Mullan (Conservative - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to reform the sentencing system.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
This government is serious about fighting crime, protecting the public and creating a criminal justice system that people have confidence in. Delivering on our manifesto promises, we are committed to introducing tougher sentencing for the worst offenders and to preventing automatic early release for serious crimes. But we must also give offenders a fair start on the road to rehabilitation, and we are introducing tougher, more effective community sentences which address the causes of offending.
On the 9th March the government introduced the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill (PCSC Bill). This legislation will bring forward the new, smarter approach to sentencing set out in the Sentencing White Paper published in September 2020.
The PCSC Bill includes measures to ensure that serious sexual and violent offenders spend as much of their sentence behind bars as possible in order to reflect the severity of their crimes. It will end automatic halfway release from prison for an additional cohort of serious sexual and violent offenders, and make a Whole Life Order the starting point for the premeditated murder of a child. It will also double the maximum penalty for assaulting an emergency worker.
However, protecting the public is not just about better use of custody. The PCSC Bill will make community sentences more effective by extending the use of electronic monitoring, enabling the piloting of a problem-solving approach for certain community orders, and simplifying the Out of Court disposal framework.
Work is also underway on the non-legislative reforms set out in the Sentencing White Paper, which aim to tackle the underlying cause of criminal behaviour and improve the rehabilitation of offenders in the community.
Asked by: Kieran Mullan (Conservative - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how the changes proposed in the White Paper, A Smarter Approach to Sentencing, published September 2020, will effect those convicted of sexual offenses against children.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is committed to ensuring that the worst offenders are kept behind bars to protect the public, and that the safety of our children is paramount when sentencing sex offenders.
We have already legislated to end automatic halfway release for offenders who have committed a specified sexual offence, including child sexual offences, for which the maximum penalty is life and who receive a sentence of 7 years or more. Such offenders now have to serve two-thirds of their sentence in prison before being released to serve the final part of their sentence on licence and under supervision in the community.
We are going further in the sentencing White Paper, A Smarter Approach to Sentencing, to ensure that serious offenders spend more time in prison, to properly reflect the gravity of their crimes. We are proposing to legislate to extend the requirement to serve two-thirds of the sentence to other sexual offenders who receive sentences of between 4 and 7 years. Also under our proposals, offenders who commit serious sexual assaults against children and receive a Sentence for Offenders of Particular Concern (SOPC), will be required to serve two-thirds of their sentence, instead of the current half, before they can come before the Parole Board for consideration for release.