HC Deb 03 May 1990 vol 171 cc1200-1
10. Mr. Jacques Arnold

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what increases in sentences for serious and violent crimes there have been since 1984.

Mr. John Patten

Between 1984 and 1988, average sentence lengths increased by 33 per cent. for violence against the person, 47 per cent. for sexual offences and 28 per cent. for robbery.

Mr. Arnold

I welcome those considerable increases in sentences for violent criminals and I particularly welcome the fact that in the context of attempting to reduce the prison population, we are not weakening our efforts to deal with violent criminals. May we be assured that sentences will continue to increase in length, not only as a deterrent but to protect our constituents from violent and evil men?

Mr. Patten

I welcome my hon. Friend's concern for public protection and for women's safety in this country. It is our intention that the courts shall have lengthy sentences available to them to deal with violent and sexual offenders, and it is quite right that that should be the case.

It is also our plan that when a sex or violence offender is coming near to the end of his sentence and is about to be released into the community, there shall be new rules concerning the supervision of such an offender giving the victim and the victim's family the right to have their views taken into account as to whether, for example, a convicted rapist should return to the area where he lived before to reside for the rest of his sentence and that is quite right, too.

Mr. Lawrence

Will my right hon. Friend confirm that it has been made more possible, from a practical point of view, to increase sentences for violent and serious crime and to reduce the prison population because the judiciary has made space in our prisons by reducing the number of prisoners on remand, by keeping the number of fine defaulters down to well below 1 per cent. and by taking advantage of community service orders and the other alternatives to imprisonment that the Government have made prodigious efforts to increase?

Mr. Patten

I note what my hon. and learned Friend says about the judiciary and I accept that he is entirely accurate to say that there has been a considerable recognition by all concerned, including the Labour party, that many non-violent and non-serious offenders can be punished adequately in the community, thereby helping the community and paying back for some of the wrong that they have done.

We are absolutely determined, however that those who commit serious and violent crimes shall continue to be punished seriously and that the public shall be protected from them. Proposals by the Home Secretary include the proposal that in future a persistent sexual or violent offender who offends again, however small the offence, can be sentenced right up to the maximum for public protection purposes.

Mr. Alex Carlile

Does the right hon. Gentleman agree that judges are to some extent inhibited from passing the right sentences by the antique and arcane calendar of offences, many of which have not been changed since 1860 or 1861? Will the Government introduce a whole new range of offences to deal with homicide and violence which would enable judges to exercise their discretion more fully and properly?

Mr. Patten

The hon. and learned Gentleman will be aware, being a recorder as well as a Member of Parliament, that there has been a considerable amount of criminal law reform in the 1980s. However, I believe that what he says is well worth considering in the 1990s.