Government has major issue as justice system corrodes amid prison crisis - The Yorkshire Post says
THE figure leaves a bitter taste and is one which will concern those who already despair of law and order in this country. Our front page today details how more than 250 offenders with over 100 previous convictions were not jailed in 2023.
It is becoming clearer that the state of the country’s prisons, and wider justice system, presents a major issue for the new Government. Today’s report comes after we learn that almost all the people convicted in the recent riots will be eligible for release after 40 per cent of their sentence as the Government tries to free up space in overcrowded jails.
They will not be exempt from the early release scheme, announced last month by Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood, who said she had no option but to set free 5,500 inmates early with prisons projected to overflow in September.
It is reasonable to ask what sort of deterrent this poses to those who would do society harm. On a side note, readers might recall earlier this month Jordan Parlour, 28, of Brooklands Close in Leeds – who admitted publishing written material intended to stir racial hatred after posting online about a hotel which was home to 210 refugees and asylum seekers – appearing to blow a raspberry as he was led from court after being sentenced to 20 months’ imprisonment. This man apparently had no respect for the court and, if his gesture really reflected his feelings, cared little about his punishment.
Meanwhile, with the closure of court buildings in recent years, and media outlets having fewer resources to comprehensively cover stories in those which remain open, all this points to a huge corrosion of a justice system in deep trouble.