Criminals to escape prison by paying large fines

LONDON - Minimum sentences for murder are set to be abolished and thousands of people will escape prison altogether as part of the largest shake-up of Britain's criminal justice system in decades.

Overturning years of Conservative Party orthodoxy that "prison works", Kenneth Clarke, the Justice Secretary, said he wanted to reduce the Britain's jail population by at least 3000 by 2015.

But there was immediate anger from some on the right of his party, who derided Clarke's assertion that prison should no longer be treated as an "expensive way of giving communities a break".

Under the plans outlined yesterday:

Foreign criminals charged with less serious offences will be able to escape a prison sentence in Britain altogether by agreeing to be deported.

Suspects who plead guilty at the "earliest opportunity" will have their sentence cut by 50 per cent.

Limiting the number of suspects remanded in prison pending trial.

A new release test for prisoners who are serving "indeterminate" sentences that will see many freed.

Treating offenders with mental health issues in the community.

At the same time there will be a big increase in the use of community punishments with private companies brought into run schemes and paid according to how many criminals they stop reoffending.

In some cases, criminals could avoid any punishment if they pay a large fine or compensation to victims.

But it is Clarke's plans to reform Britain's murder laws and sentencing for serious offences that is likely to be most controversial.

At present, anyone found guilty of murder receives a minimum tariff of 15, 25 or 30 years in jail or, in the worst cases, a whole-life tariff. The tariff depends on the type of murder, the weapon used and other aggravating factors such as hate crimes.

Clarke said he wanted to return discretion for murder sentences to judges. "You don't need to tell judges that murder is a serious offence by setting minimum terms," he said.

"They are the people who hear the evidence and are best placed to determine what the sentence should be."

The change could result in significantly shorter sentences for mercy killings and some domestic murders.

Controversial indefinite sentences for the public protection, widely criticised as a mistake by prison reform campaigners, will be restricted to only the most serious offenders who are sentenced to more than 10 years.

In a statement to the House of Commons, Clarke said sentencing policy needed a "radically different approach".

Young offenders could have their juvenile record wiped clean once they reach 18 so they are not stopped from pursuing options, such as higher education or prevented from getting jobs.

Prison reformers welcomed the changes. Juliet Lyon, director of the Prison Reform Trust, said: "The Green Paper is a blueprint for moderate and sensible reform."

But he was challenged by Tory MP Edward Leigh who said: "Communities deserve a break - they deserve a break from being burgled."

- Independent