Labour's sentencing plans will lead to 'even bigger crime wave', critics blast

Labour was accused of barely mentioning crime victims as they pressed ahead with the softest sentencing plans in a generation.

Killers and rapists will be let out of prison early, while 43,000 criminals will avoid jail altogether, under Labour's plans.

And the vast majority of convicts will be tagged and electronically monitored as ministers try to avoid a repeat of the prison overcrowding crisis.

The campaign group Justice for Victims, which includes Glenn and Becky Youens, Ayse Hussein, Paula Hudgell, Katie Brett and Susan and Jeremy Everard, told the Daily Express: "Ministers insist this will make our streets safer.

"But for victims and their families, this moment raises a far deeper question: will justice finally start to mean something for those whose lives have been shattered by crime.

"At Justice for Victims, everything we do is in the name of those who no longer have a voice.

"Today's reforms speak loudly about offenders, with tagging, monitoring, rehabilitation and probation investment. But they whisper about victims.

"That imbalance is exactly why trust in our justice system is so fragile.

"Yes, the Government is right to highlight accountability. Yes, public safety matters. But safety without truth is not justice."

Most criminals will be let out after just a third of their sentence, under Labour's new Sentencing Bill. They will spend another third under house arrest and will only then be put on licence and let into the community.

It is in the third part of the sentences these bans could be introduced.

Criminals sentenced to more than four years behind bars will be let out after serving just half of their jail term, while punishments of less than 12 months will be abolished in most cases.

Only the most extreme offenders will be refused the right to leave prison at the halfway point

Criminals will, for the first time, be tagged before they leave prison in a bid to prevent them wreaking havoc in communities.

Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick said: "Starmer's Bill will see up to 43,000 criminals avoid prison every year, and killers, rapists and other serious sexual and violent offenders freed half way through their sentences. This is certain to unleash an even bigger crime wave on our streets.

"It's laughable that Starmer thinks banning hardened criminals from their local pub and music concerts will deter them. That's a pathetic gimmick that shows how soft Labour is on crime.

"The only people benefitting from this Starmer Government are illegal migrants and criminals."

Labour will also introduce a "presumption" to tag every offender. This will lead to 22,000 more offenders and defendants being tagged each year as part of the biggest expansion of electronic monitoring since curfew tags were introduced in 1999.

London's Victims Commissioner Claire Waxman said: "The Sentencing Bill will also see a presumption against short prison sentences, meaning many who would otherwise serve sentences of under 12 months will instead serve in the community.

"Prison needs to remain an option for those who pose a risk to their victims or the public, and while I welcome that breaches of protective orders will still see offenders sent to prison, there need to be stronger exemptions.

"If this Government is serious about its ambition to halve violence against women and girls, it should ensure that victims of domestic abuse and stalking are protected and recognise the role that prison plays in keeping them safe.

"Victims and survivors must be at the heart of justice reform, and while change is necessary to keep the wheels of justice turning, we need to ensure these proposals do not risk the safety of victims and the public.

"This is a time of understandably heightened concern for many victims, who need and deserve the support to both navigate the complex justice system and to cope and recover."

A pilot programme of tagging offenders in prison on the day of their release is to begin in October.

The six-month scheme will take place in six prisons and is expected to carry out 1,200 orders for offenders to be electronically monitored with a curfew, alcohol or GPS tag fitted on their release.

The prisons taking part in the trial are yet to be confirmed as officials carry out site visits in the coming weeks.

Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, said: "Last year, the criminal justice system was on the verge of collapse. Since being elected, the Government has worked rapidly to repair the damage, starting with investing £7 billion in 14,000 more prison places as part of our Plan for Change.

"A historic increase in tagging and record investment into probation will make our streets safer.

"And this Sentencing Bill will ensure that our prisons never run out of space again, we can always lock up dangerous offenders, and that punishment cuts crime rather than creating better criminals."