Effectiveness of the courts Flashcards
How the courts have been ineffective in tackling crime
P- They send people to prison for very short periods of time.
E- People who receive short sentences do not get any rehabilitation whilst in prison, can learn new skills and therefore come out of prison and continue to commit crimes as short prison sentences have high reoffending rates.
E-Almost 60% of those sentenced to less than three months were reconvicted within a year.
P-Not handing out long sentences for knife crime.
E- The maximum sentence for carrying a knife was increased from four to five years in Scotland in February 2016. However whilst the average length of sentences has increased only 0.1% of 917 knife criminals were sent to prison for that length of time in 2016-17.
E- Sean Kitchener walked free after stabbing Barry McLean to death with a kitchen knife in 2011 as he claimed he was acting in self-defence.
