UK-Judiciary
Judges are set to have their powers reduced to jail criminals under government plans to ease Britain's crowded jails.

A new Law Reform Bill outlined in the draft proposals for the next parliamentary session includes establishing a "structured sentencing framework and a Sentencing Commission to enable better alignment of the demands and resources for correctional services." The move will be the first time the country's crowded jails will have to be formally considered in the sentencing of convicted criminals.

According to Daily Telegraph Friday, the commission is expected to devise a sentencing "grid" system for judges to follow according to prison places, which is already used in several American states.

The move could cut the number of short prison terms imposed and lead to more criminals being given community sentences to help alleviate Britain's overcrowded jail population, which has reached a record of more than 82,000 so far this year.

The decision has been criticized by opposition parties, accusing the government of contriving a mechanism to prevent judges from passing appropriate sentences.

"We've already seen this Government's attempt to restrict the ability of courts to hand out custodial sentences because they have failed to provide enough prison places," the Conservative's shadow justice secretary Nick Herbert said.

The Liberal Democrat justice spokesman, David Howarth, also said the proposal was "solely to do with reducing the cost of the prison system."
The government said the draft legislation would be subjected to the conclusions of a Sentencing Commission Working Group, which is due to report by July.

Justice Secretary Jack Straw has already implemented early release schemes for prisoners convicted of non-serious offences in an attempt to curb the growing jail population, which is already more than 50 per cent higher than in France, Germany and Italy.