Ministers have been accused of being 'soft on crime' as new proposals have been unveiled that would see criminals sentenced to less than 12 months avoiding prison. Justice Secretary Alex Chalk has introduced these plans in an effort to overhaul sentencing and alleviate overcrowding in jails.

Monitoring Offenders in the Community

Justice Secretary Alex Chalk has announced that the number of GPS tags available to the court will be doubled, allowing for better monitoring of offenders. This move is aimed at ensuring that offenders are going to work and that their freedom is restricted during evenings and weekends with curfews of up to 20 hours a day.

Community Service for Low-Level Offenders

Judges will now have the option to send low-level criminals into the community instead of imprisoning them. Offenders will be given punishments such as removing graffiti and cleaning up neighborhoods as a way to pay for their crimes.

Early Release Scheme

In addition to the new plans, an early release scheme will also be implemented, allowing prisoners serving sentences of less than four years to be released 18 days early. This is similar to a scheme introduced by the Labour party in 2010, which allowed 50,000 offenders to be released before reaching the halfway point of their sentence.

Exceptions for Serious Offenses

While the new plans aim to reduce the prison population, Justice Secretary Alex Chalk has made it clear that rapists and other serious sexual offenders will still serve their full jail term. These individuals will not be eligible for early release or community sentencing.

Investment in the Prison Estate

To accommodate the changing sentencing landscape, £400 million will be allocated to the prison estate. This funding will be used to build 800 new prison cells. An additional £30 million will be dedicated to purchasing land for the construction of new prisons.

Overall, these radical new plans aim to address overcrowding in jails and provide alternative sentencing options for low-level offenders.