Labour to abolish most short prison sentences in England and Wales
Ministers will legislate next month to abolish most short prison sentences, toughen up community punishments and introduce a Texas-inspired system whereby inmates can earn early release as part of an attempt to avert another prison crisis.Government sources said the legislation, which will bring about the biggest shake-up in sentencing laws in England and Wales for three decades, would be introduced once MPs had returned to the Commons in September.They said Shabana Mahmood, the justice secretary, was conscious of the need to implement the changes quickly before prisons had another capacity crunch next summer.Thousands of inmates were released after Labour won power last summer in an emergency measure to deal with overcrowding.The sentencing bill will include measures backed by the government that were recommended by the former Conservative justice secretary David Gauke in a review in the spring.
The central change will be the introduction of an incentive scheme – or “earned progression model” – for prisoners serving fixed-term sentences to earn early release with good behaviour.Criminals, including some violent ones, will be able earn early release after serving between a third and half of their sentence, though the most dangerous criminals and those convicted of terror-related offences will be excluded.The scheme is modelled on a system in place in Texas, which Mahmood visited earlier this year.The bill will also end short sentences of less than 12 months, barring exceptional circumstances, with ministers arguing that these are counterproductive and a driver of more crime.The latest data released by the Ministry of Justice last month suggested that for the prison cohort of July to September 2023, 62% of inmates released after serving sentences of less than 12 months went on to reoffend.
The government also plans to toughen up community punishments by giving courts greater flexibility to impose fines, seize assets and introduce bans on travel, driving and attending football matches,Mahmood wants there to be an expansion in the use of unpaid work, where councils would be able to assign jobs to offenders such as filling potholes and removing graffiti,Suspended sentences are to be allowed for up to three years instead of two, and will be used more for low-risk offenders with high needs such as pregnant women and people with substance abuse problems,Sign up to First EditionOur morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what’s happening and why it mattersafter newsletter promotionThe bill will include measures to limit the movement of sexual and violent offenders upon release by pinning them down to specific “restriction zones”, policed using technology and enhanced tagging,Ministers have also announced plans to deport most foreign criminals immediately after conviction instead of 30% of the way through their sentences.
Critics argue this would allow them to evade punishment,Meanwhile, Mahmood will press ahead with a voluntary chemical castration system for sex offenders in England and Wales, and is exploring the prospect of making it mandatory,The programme is being piloted in two regions,A government spokesperson said: “This government inherited a prisons system days away from collapse,That is why we are building 14,000 more prison places – with 2,500 already delivered – but we know we can’t build our way out of this crisis.
Without further action, we will run out of prison places in months, courts would halt trials and the police cancel arrests.“That is why as part of our plan for change, we are overhauling sentencing to make sure we always have the prison places needed to keep the country safe.”England and Wales together have the highest per capita prison population in western Europe.Gauke has said that without change, prisons could run out of space again by spring.The best public interest journalism relies on first-hand accounts from people in the know.
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Coca-Cola in talks about cut-price £2bn sale of Costa Coffee
Costa Coffee could change hands again after it emerged that Coca-Cola has met potential buyers to discuss a cut-price deal to off-load the chain.The American soft drinks company is said to be working with bankers on a review of Costa, Britain’s biggest coffee chain, that could lead to it being sold.Coca-Cola had high hopes for the Costa brand when it bought it in 2018 from Whitbread, owner of the Premier Inn hotel chain, for £3.9bn. However, the chain has struggled with rising costs, not least the rise in coffee bean prices, and increased high street competition
With tax speculation festering, Rachel Reeves needs to show her hand | Richard Partington
The cruel summer of speculation is here. Barely a day passes without the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, waking to another newspaper headline about possible tax-raising options for her autumn budget.After the bonanza of June’s spending review, Reeves had been warned that uncertainty about the public finances would set tongues wagging. Britain’s economy has far from shot the lights out since, the global backdrop remains fairly bleak, borrowing costs are high, and inflationary pressures are building.This week marks the point at which November becomes the earliest date the chancellor can hold her budget, given the 10 weeks’ notice she must provide the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) to prepare its forecasts
Is the AI bubble about to burst – and send the stock market into freefall? | Phillip Inman
There are growing fears of an imminent stock market crash – one that will transform from a dip to a dive when euphoric headlines about the wonders of artificial intelligence begin to wane.Shares in US tech stocks have fallen in recent weeks and the prospect is that a flood of negative numbers will become the norm before the month is out.It could be 2000 all over again, and just like the bursting of the dotcom bubble it may be ugly, with investors junking businesses that once looked good on paper but now resemble a huge liability.Jerome Powell, the Federal Reserve chair, is one of the policymakers tasked with keeping the wolf from the door. Speaking on Friday at the annual Jackson Hole gathering of central bank governors in Wyoming, he tried to calm nerves
Expert rejects Met police claim that study backs bias-free live facial recognition use
The Metropolitan police’s claims that their use of live facial recognition is bias-free are not substantiated by the report they cite to support their case, a leading expert on the technology has said.The Met is planning its biggest and most high profile use of LFR yet this bank holiday weekend at Notting Hill carnival in west London.The Guardian understands it will be deployed at two sites on the approaches to the carnival, with the force insisting on its use despite the Equality and Human Rights Commission saying police use of LFR is unlawful.The new claims come from Prof Pete Fussey, who led the only independent academic review of police use of facial recognition, is a former reviewer of LFR for the Met from 2018-19, and currently advises other forces in the UK and abroad on its use.The Met says it has reformed its use of LFR after a 2023 study it commissioned from the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and it is now, in effect, bias-free
Tommy Fleetwood vows to strive for more after US win ‘completes story of near misses’
Tommy Fleetwood insisted he is ready to write a fresh chapter of golfing success after ending his wait for a victory in the United States after 11 years.Fleetwood’s three-stroke win at the Tour Championship in Atlanta came in his 164th start on the PGA Tour. While determined to enjoy the moment, the 34-year-old from Southport has no plans to rest on his laurels. Fleetwood had been probed time and again about his series of near misses in the US.“The guys that win the most are in contention so much, they’re up there all the time,” Fleetwood said
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