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Violent offenders receiving only police cautions

by generaldecay | November 7, 2009 at 03:46 am

79 views | 18 Recommendations | 6 comments

If you commit a crime and get caught it is reasonable to think that you will go to court, be prosecuted and pay the price for your actions. Not necessarily. In fact, in England and Wales half of all criminal cases brought to justice these days are punished out of court by way of cautions, warnings and fines.These direct measures are supposed to be fast and fair.

This is becoming a serious problem in England and Wales. Because of a lack of resources, people-power, and court availability, 'direct measures' have been introduced to push offenders through the criminal justice system faster. Many of these measures lead to offenders being given police cautions (aka rap on the knuckles) or fines. However, Panorama (a BBC investigative programme) has discovered that these measures are being applied to criminals who are committing very serious offences, such as violence, grievous bodily harm, and rape.

Cautions are formal warnings, issued at the discretion of the police if the offender admits his guilt. However, an investigation by BBC's Panorama has found concern right across the criminal justice system - from defence and prosecution lawyers, to magistrates and even judges - that these out-of-court punishments are increasingly being used for more serious crimes than originally intended. Our research found cases of burglary, child neglect, sexual assault and even rape which were dealt with by caution in 2008.

I am not someone who views changes in the criminal justice system, and crime statistics, with an uncritical eye but I am ready to accept these findings for what they are because I know them to pretty accurate. And I find them absolutely terrifying.

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Hugh Askew

at 04:39 on November 7th, 2009

Isn't liberal thinking just so very special?

generaldecay

at 05:09 on November 7th, 2009

This policy certainly did come around through more liberal thinking re. crime and justice in the UK. But, unfortunately, it has been abused by police forces to such an extent that the issue is more about the enormous level of autonomy given to the police in the UK than it is around current criminal justice policies.

Thanks for the recommendation and comment, Hugh.

Beaulieu

at 07:05 on November 7th, 2009

Never mind, the police giving them cautions, in Kent they aren't coming at all due to the fireworks (see NP post).

Amy Judd

at 09:55 on November 7th, 2009

I'm surprised about this from the UK, but this is the way it is in Canada.

generaldecay

at 10:24 on November 7th, 2009

I'm unfortunately not surprised about it at all, Amy. As I said to Hugh above, the police in England and Wales are given an enormous amount of discretion these days.

Thanks for the recommendation and comment.

Sputnic

at 12:24 on November 7th, 2009

Worrying, probably wouldn't be happening if the prisons were not full. Probably not liberal thinking that has seen poverty and crime go up in parallel resulting in those full prisons !