British prisons are so overcrowded that convicted rapists and burglars will be spared jail from next week.
Crown court judges have been ordered to delay sentencing hearings, as the country’s prisons are full. The measure is said to be “short-term” but judges say they are unsure “what that means”.
Lord Edis, senior presiding judge for England and Wales, has ordered that sentencing of convicted criminals who are currently on bail should be delayed from Monday, The Times reports.
The measure means defendants of crimes as heinous as rape of a child under 13 could remain on bail, even if they’ve been convicted rather than being sentenced and then sent to jail.
From next week, some prisoners will also be released early following guidance from justice ministers, it was reported.
On the other hand, suspects remanded in custody will be put in cells in magistrates’ courts instead of prisons.
One judge said they have also been “ordered/strongly encouraged” not to send defendants to jail if they appear before them on bail.
They said: “We have been told that this is a ‘short-term measure’, but nobody knows what that means.”
They added that it means defendants charged with historic rape or rape of a child under 13 or other sexual assault are likely to remain on bail, even if they are convicted.
They asked what would happen if a jury found a defendant guilty of rape.
They were unsure whether the convicted person would go back into the community, where they could come into contact with their victims.
