Member

I turn to Amendments 71 and 74, in the names of the noble and learned Lord, Lord Keen, and the noble Lord, Lord Sandhurst. I must say, I feel a slight sense of déjà vu. We debated many of these principles at length during the passage of the Sentencing Bill, but I am now going to repeat much of what was said then. Many offenders convicted of the most serious sexual and domestic abuse offences already receive life sentences, extended determinate sentences or sentences for offenders of particular concern. Such cases would not, in any event, fall within the scope of the one-third release provision, or the presumption to suspend short sentences, which applies only to sentences of 12 months or less. Beyond this, excluding certain offences from the Sentencing Act changes would make the new system more operationally complex and increase the risk of inaccuracies in release calculations. Through the implementation of the Sentencing Act, this Government are putting the prison population on a sustainable footing, ending the cycle of repeated crises. Any amendment to that legislation risks this pathway to stability. Put bluntly, if the prisons collapse, we cannot protect anyone.