The Prime Minister has mandated that rape, serious child sex, and other grooming offences will be excluded from forthcoming adjustments to prison sentences. This measure aims to ensure that individuals convicted of these crimes will not see changes to their custodial sentences.
This decision comes after Prime Minister Andy Burnham halted planned sentencing changes shortly after taking office and requested a policy reconsideration. The Prime Minister stated that he wanted to go further but could not without risking the collapse of the prison system.
Offenders will now be subject to tougher community supervision, including a presumption of tagging and longer periods of oversight. Rapists will also face new GPS monitoring to restrict their movements. Additionally, a new £10 million package of specialist support for victims has been announced, which includes a national helpline and efforts to contact affected victims.
Justice Secretary Alex Norris commented that these crimes are rightly excluded from the reforms and that victims will receive better support and reassurance regarding offender supervision.