In photo - Kieran with Stephen Jempson, co-owner of Jempson's supermarkets, cafes and convenience stores.
The Government recently released their Sentencing Review, published by David Gauke. As Shadow Justice Minister, I have been looking closely at it, and although there are some positive ideas, overall, it feels like a missed opportunity to put victims and the public at the centre of justice.
As I have written about before in the Bexhill Observer, I helped to bring together and support people who have first-hand experience of serious crimes. These people have lost loved ones or seen them suffer as a consequence of criminal acts. They want to see a justice system focused more on victims and their families, and for sentencing policy to deliver proper punishment to the worst offenders. They are now campaigning under the group Justice for Victims and are doing incredible work.
They, and I, are shocked by how little victims’ voices have shaped this review. This was a chance to really listen to those who have suffered through crime and ask what justice means to them. That has not happened in a serious way. In fact, when Justice for Victims asked to meet them to hear first-hand their suggestions for how the review could ensure that victims and their families had a voice in justice, he refused a meeting.
What does the review recommend? Mr. Gauke suggests some of the worst offenders, including those guilty of violent or sexual crimes, should spend less time in prison. I don’t think that is what victims or their families want.
One proposal suggests allowing prisoners earlier release if they comply with prison rules. I think that following rules, working, or studying are everyday expectations of law-abiding citizens. Serious offenders should not be rewarded simply for meeting basic standards.
Keir Starmer has already let 16,000 criminals onto our streets early since coming into office, some of which were released by mistake or without a tag and then went on to commit crimes that very same day. There is pressure on prison places, but we have thousands of foreign offenders and people on remand in prison - they should be the focus.
Already we are seeing increased spates of shoplifting up and down the country. During my recent meeting with Stephen Jempson, co-owner of Jempson’s, I was told how they are blighted by the scourge of shoplifting. They know from experience that the majority of shoplifters, who steal from their shops, are well-organised professional thieves who think that they can threaten and intimidate shop staff with impunity. They are deeply frustrated that there is not more done to arrest and punish those who are guilty of shoplifting. This review will now add to that frustration and is a clear step in the wrong direction for dealing with criminal activity at all levels. The government is also considering scrapping short sentences for offenders which will just encourage them to continue.
In the months to come, I will continue advocating for a justice system that is fair, robust, and centred on those it exists to protect. That means ensuring meaningful consequences for offenders, genuine accountability, and making victims a central part of the process—not an afterthought.
