Member

I do not envisage a welter of convictions and short sentences resulting from these amendments—an issue that is particularly acute given the disastrous inheritance that this Government were bequeathed by their predecessor in terms of the prison estate and overcrowding —but the possibility must be written into law to deter those who may otherwise choose to commit such crimes. Noble Lords will recall a phrase from Coriolanus: “Action is eloquence”; however, when making legislation, it is not the act of prosecution that is desired—in fact, one can argue that that is an admission of a societal failing—but establishing a causal nexus of sufficient severity to ensure that bad actors choose not to incur severe risks to themselves and instead keep within the law.