Suspended sentences... What's the point?

[Kermit power]

Watch just about any real life crime programme on TV, and you'll see scumbags being given suspended sentences.

What on earth is the point of this? If the did something deserving of jail time, then lock the fkers up. If they didn't, then give them a lesser punishment, but this just seems utterly pointless! Commit a crime, get caught, and as long as you don't get caught again within 12 months or whatever, you get off scott free.

These make me angry!

[Kermit power]

Digga said:

There's just one point - we don't have sufficient prison spaces to accommodate all the scum.

That and hand-wringing, do-gooding, liberals infiltrating a great many of our public services.

In that case, why not at least give them community service picking up dog turds or something? A suspended sentence seems to equate to "no punishment at all" where lesser crimes actually carry more severe non custodial sentences.

[Kermit power]

mph1977 said:

Kermit power said:

Watch just about any real life crime programme on TV, and you'll see scumbags being given suspended sentences.

What on earth is the point of this? If the did something deserving of jail time, then lock the fkers up. If they didn't, then give them a lesser punishment, but this just seems utterly pointless! Commit a crime, get caught, and as long as you don't get caught again within 12 months or whatever, you get off scott free.

These make me angry!

I note you conveniently forget that a suspended sentence is also accompanied by a community punishment , fines and costs ...

like recall to prison the suspended sentence is automatically invoked should a further offence be committed

The BBC might've conveniently forgotten it, but I certainly didn't, as there was no mention of community punishment in any of them!