The Criminal Laws of Great Britain enshrine the punishment that judges are expected to apply when making Judgements. It is not quite as simple as this, but normally judges are (were ?) free to ensure that public safety is protected and that criminals are fairly punished.
Alas, regularly one reads in the press that a judge, who has the courage to say so, that he cannot punish a criminal the way he should be, because sentencing guidelines, issued with the benediction of the Lord Chancellor Kenneth Clarke, restrict his "independent" powers !!! All hell breaks loose when a Judge is too soft, but the Justice Secretary, Kenneth Clarke, never suffers any inconvenience !!!
This was not right when Jack Straw and Labour were in power, and it is no less right now when the Coalition Government rules.
In fact what nobody in politics wants to admit is that British prisons are old, decrepit and too small. Their capacities are insufficient to be able to handle the various categories of criminals, some extremely dangerous and others less so !!!
Less than 100 years ago, the thought of a prison sentence was a deterrent !!! It was considered a disgrace !!! Nowadays if prisoners do not have a television set they consider their human rights have been breached !!!
David Cameron, Kenneth Clarke, and, of course, the Chancellor George Osborne, must recognise the fact that if they do nothing to secure the justice that their electors have a right to expect, the next
general election will be their swan song !!!
It will then no longer be the fault of the Socialists !!!
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