Short jail terms are bad for criminals, says top judge:Sentences under six months 'disrupt a prisoner's ...

A Supreme Court spokesman said: 'Lord Neuberger was simply reporting informal conversations hehad with probation officers and other prison staff during his visit to Holloway Prison in July.

'Even short sentences can give communities a respite from hardened criminals. Putting awayserious, repeat offenders for even a few months can prevent dozens of crimes.

Controversial: Lord Neuberger, president of the Supreme Court, says short sentences are bad forcriminals

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Pardonmeforbreathing,Durham, Norway,7 minutes ago

But as the 65-year-old has settled into his role as President of the Supreme Court, which he took upin October last year, he has made a series of interventions in sensitive political territory.

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'And on the other hand, if an offender needs help for any reason, such as substance abuse or trainingfor a job, there is no point in her being in prison for much less than six months.'Tory MP Douglas Carswell said: 'What a surprise! A senior official in the criminal justice system seesthings entirely from the point of view of the criminal. Until we democratise the appointment processfor judges, judges are never going to be on our side.ReplyNew00Click to rateWell we cantdisrupt a prisoners home life can we..

Add your commentFlo,West Mids,8 minutes agoWhere the hell do they get these judges from, they carry out a crime what do they expect the Hilton.Prison should be a deterrant not a holiday full stop.Could his statement also be taken as advocating crime? Inciting Crime? Conspiracy to comit crimeeven? WE employ these judges, and they're clearly not capable of meeting the job description as werequire.

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The judge wrote: 'As a judge one message I took away was the highly questionable value of shortsentences.'

ReplyNew11Click to rateThere is most definitely a village short of an idiot!'Of course a prison sentence is going to disrupt the life of the criminal - that's the ruddy idea, yourhonour. In my constituency, there are people who would say that if short sentences are a problem,just make them longer.'383

But it was his comments on sentencing which provoked dismay - as he appeared to stray intopolitical territory.One of the country's most senior judges provoked fury last night when he criticised short jailsentences for interfering with the home lives of criminals.Earlier this year he said legal aid cuts would bring lawlessness - warning that restricting rights tofree lawyers would 'lead to people taking the law in to their own hands'.Bizarrely, he also complained about 'bossy notices' on prison walls, and the cheap furniture he sawin the jail, and expressed astonishment at how little money was spent on prisoners' food.

His comments raised concerns that a senior member of the judiciary appeared to be intervening inhighly political debate around sentencing policy.

In March he rebuked Home Secretary Theresa May for criticising judges who fail to deport foreigncriminals. He said Mrs May's comments were 'inappropriate, unhelpful and wrong'.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2513541/Short-jail-terms-bad-criminals-says-judge-Sentences-months-disrupt-prisoners-home-life.html

I am sure 'minor' crimes like burglary disrupt the home lives of the victims somewhat as well. Is thisa joke?Share what you thinkTime to retire

By Jack Doyle147 sharesHe was previously the most senior critic of the decision to abolish the Law Lords and create theSupreme Court, which he now heads. He described Tony Blair's decision to go ahead with the reformas 'verging on the frivolous'.In April, the Mail revealed 50-year-old Wanda Maddocks had been handed a five-month jail term bythe Court of Protection - the secretive court which controls the affairs of people who are too ill tomake their own decisions.

calls4u2,Newcastle, United Kingdom,8 minutes ago'The notion that a couple of months in prison will help bring a defendant to her senses, the so-called"clang of the prison gates", has always had a real resonance for me.'

New Comment12Click to rateLord Neuberger, the son of a medical professor who fled Germany when Hitler came to power, isone of the few judges with experience outside the law. He worked for City bank N M Rothschild forthree years after leaving Oxford.

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Share or comment on this article147sharesThe views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect theviews of MailOnline.

In the year to March 2013, a total of 18,724 criminals were given jail sentences of between threeand six months.Give them longer sentences then. Or stop knocking an automatic third off, 10 years should mean tenyears not six.

New Comment11Click to rateThe judge said he applauded the reporting of the case, adding: 'I think that one of the importantfunctions of an open society is that the Press and media remind us sometimes of the need to examineour practices and to see whether we do comply as much as we should with the need for open justice.'

Defenders of the use of short jail sentences point out most criminals will have been given severalcommunity sentences and other 'soft' punishments before they merit a jail term. Almost 8,000criminals jailed last year had been given at least 11 community sentences.Instead, he warned such sentences 'can be disruptive' for the prisoner's job and home life. The judgemade his comments after visiting Holloway women's prison in North London.

Last night, Justice Minister Jeremy Wright said short sentences 'can be an effective punishment forsome criminals'.Criminal justice expert Peter Cuthbertson, the director of the Centre for Crime Prevention, said: 'It'sa huge mistake to view sentencing only from the point of view of criminals, without thinking of theirmany potential victims.PUBLISHED:19:24 EST, 25 November 2013| UPDATED:04:38 EST, 26 November 2013

fatman,derbyshire,moments ago

ReplyNew11Click to rate

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Latest in horseshoe chic. How to put on GluShuGet a grip you silly man no wonder the UK justice system is the laughing stock of the world! Howabout the victims aren't their lives disrupted your honour?JUDGE WHO CHALLENGED THE HOME SECRETARYAnother 25,165 were given jail terms of up to three months.Nice wig.

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threatening diseases...supperman,liverpool, United Kingdom,9 minutes agoBut longer prison sentences do have a much better record for cutting reoffending. If Lord Neubergerthinks short sentences don't do the job, figures show we should use prison for longer rather than notat all.'

New Comment11Click to ratesparky,Lincoln,7 minutes ago

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Short jail terms are bad for criminals, says top judge: Sentences under six months 'disrupt aprisoner's home life | Mail OnlineNew Comment11Click to rateLord Neuberger, president of the Supreme Court, said he rejected the idea that a couple of monthsbehind bars - and what he called 'the clang of the prison gates' - could help bring criminals to theirsenses.Make all judges electable to stop this rubbishAs Master of the Rolls, he allowed the City of London to order the Occupy protesters to move onfrom St Paul's after a four-month protest. He has been highly critical of the excesses of lawyersprofiting from the no-win no-fee system.'Judges balance a wide range of factors when considering appropriate sentences, including the

impact the crime has had on victims and the interests of wider society.'In March Lord Neuberger rebuked Home Secretary Theresa May for criticising judges who fail todeport foreign criminals

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Short jail terms are bad for criminals, says top judge: Sentences under six months 'disrupt aprisoner's home lifeLord Neuberger said a few months behind bars is not an effective deterrentHealso criticised shared cells, prison food and even cheap furnitureJudge was accused of seeing things'from the point of view of the criminal'He also expressed concern that prisoners there were forced to share a cell, when 'the vast majority'would, he said, prefer to have a room to themselves.ANTEK,Nowy Sancz,5 minutes ago

He added: 'My other impressions included concern that most prisoners were required to share a cellwhen the great majority wished to be on their own; astonishment that prisoners could be fedsensibly for under ?2 a day.'Critics accused the judge of seeing things 'entirely from the point of view of the criminal' and failingto consider victims. Ministers defended short sentences as 'effective'.Tory MP Douglas Carswell criticised the judge's comments, claiming many of his constituents wantto see longer sentences for criminalsLord Neuberger has been married for 36 years to tv producer Angela Holdsworth. They have twosons and a daughter.

Limehouse Chappie,Kabul, Afghanistan,5 minutes agoMore...Final British Greenpeace Arctic protestor freed from Russian prison after two months indetentionFrom getting a driving license to enjoying a much-deserved cocktail with his girlfriend:Ryan Ferguson shares photos of his first days of freedom after a decade in prison

His comments came in an article for the November issue of Independent Monitor, the magazine forprison monitoring boards, after a visit to Holloway in North London earlier this year.His reflections of their views on short term sentences are in no way intended as official statementsof sentencing policy, which are matters for the Sentencing Council and Parliament.Comments (420)Last month, he spoke out to praise the Daily Mail for exposing the secret jailing of a woman who wastrying to take her father out of a care home because she feared for his safety.

Earlier this year Lord Neuberger refused to answer journalists' questions at a press conference,warning that it was inappropriate for judges to give opinions publicly on solely political matters.He added: 'But, following my visit to Holloway, having listened to the probation officers and others, Ihave a very different perspective. A short prison sentence can be disruptive for the prisoner's job,home etc.comments

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NewestOldestBest ratedWorst rated View allGok Wan,UK,8 minutes ago

Tory MP Douglas Carswell blasted the judge's comments, saying: 'Of course a prison sentence isgoing to disrupt the life of the criminal. That's the ruddy idea, your honour'CJ,Oxfordshire UK & Pennsylvania USA,moments ago