Thomas-Symonds Defends Criminals Serving 20% of Their Sentences – Guido Fawkes

WATCH: Thomas-Symonds Defends Criminals Serving 20% of Their Sentences

EU relations minister Nick Thomas Symonds has attempted to justify new legal provisions which will let some criminals serve only 20% of their sentences.

Brian Leveson’s proposals for justice reforms, along with recommending scrapping some jury trials and increasing sitting days, say early guilty pleas for some sentences should be rewarded with a 40% discount. Combine that with the current one-third off and you’re looking at 20% time served in some cases…

Thomas Symonds did not deny this would be the case:

“Well, we are determined to ensure that we deal with crime in this country. That is why we’ll have additional neighborhood police officers in terms of crime detection… what we have to do is take difficult decisions to ensure we keep the public safe. But that is where you are left. If you are left with a prison system that is that is bursting at the seams, as it was.”

Labour has ploughed on with its early release schemes while the policing provisions Thomas-Symonds mentions are a long way down the track. Leveson’s recommendations also include more ‘out of court’ resolutions for some low-tier crimes – slaps on the wrist. They will be voted on in the autumn. Justice will look pretty different by Christmas…