Member

I agree that victim protection must be at the heart of all decisions made in the justice system, and I am glad that while the Bill introduces a presumption to suspend short custodial sentences of 12 months or less. This is simply a presumption, which means that judges will always have the option and the power to send dangerous offenders or prolific lawbreakers to prison. Furthermore, the presumption will not apply where an offender has breached a court order—including in the case of any violence against women or girls—or a related protective order, where the offender has reoffended in breach of a previous suspended sentence, where the prisoner poses a significant risk of physical or psychological harm to an individual or where there is a clear risk to public safety.