§ 24. Mr. SpringTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the effect of his proposals for automatic life sentences on levels of serious crime. [12906]
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonFigures for recent years suggest that 20 to 30 offenders a year would be liable to receive an automatic life sentence under our proposals in the Crime and Punishment (Scotland) Bill. The public deserves an increased measure of protection from those offenders who have demonstrated by their repeated serious offending that they present a particular risk, and our proposals will provide it.