Fury as Starmer ‘goes soft on criminals’ by cutting length of time dangerous offenders spend behind bars

SIR Keir Starmer was last night accused of inviting criminals to “cause carnage” after cutting the length of time dangerous offenders spend behind bars.

Cons who break strict conditions while out on licence will be sent back to jail for just 28 days as ministers scramble to ease overcrowding in a system now at 99 per cent capacity.

GettyThe PM was accused of inviting criminals to ’cause carnage’ after cutting the length of time dangerous offenders spend behind bars[/caption] PAThe Secretary of State for Justice Shabana Mahmood has said there has been a ‘total breakdown in law and order’[/caption]

The measure comes after more than 16,000 prisoners were released early in another Labour scheme introduced last September that let offenders out after 40 per cent of their sentence instead of half.

It led to scenes of freed lags dancing in the streets outside prisons and spraying champagne — and will likely do so again, say critics.

PM Mr Starmer was accused of “siding with criminals” and thousands stand to benefit from the policy, which applies only to those serving from one to four years.

Licence breaches leading to a recall can include contacting a victim, entering an exclusion zone, missing a probation meeting or not staying at the correct address.

The recall population has more than doubled from 6,000 in 2018 to 13,600 in March this year — roughly a sixth of the total jail population.

Currently they can be made to complete their full term but the new measures will see them serving just four weeks extra. No Parole Board assessment will be necessary before they walk free.

A £4.7billion plan to build three new jails has also been approved and Labour has pledged to open 14,000 prison places by 2031.

Work on one jail near HMP Gartree in Leicestershire will start this year. The cash will be made available in June’s Spending Review.

Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: “The consequences of failing to act are unthinkable.

“If our prisons overflow, courts cancel trials, police halt their arrests, crime goes unpunished and we reach a total breakdown of law and order. I was confronted by that prospect when I took office. I am confronted by it again now.

“But I will never let it happen. This Government is building new prisons, more than any other in the modern era. But we are also facing into the fact we cannot just build our way out of this crisis.”

She spoke out ahead of a Sentencing Review which is set to recommend well-behaved lags serve only a third of their sentences.

Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick said: “Labour have announced that if you’ve been sentenced to four years or less, and breach your early release conditions, you’ll only have to serve 28 days in prison.

“When questioned, the Justice Secretary could only say that sex offenders would be excluded. That is not justice. It’s a recipe for the breakdown of law and order.

PAJason Hoganson was released early from prison under Sir Keir’s controversial scheme[/caption] EPAA prisoner gestures after being released from HMP Pentonville in London[/caption] PADaniel Dowling-Brooks celebrates after being released outside HM Prison Swaleside on the Isle of Sheppey, Kent[/caption]

“By telling prisoners they’ll never serve their full sentence, even if they reoffend, the Justice Secretary has removed an important deterrent. That’s an invitation for dangerous criminals to cause carnage.”

He also admitted that his party should share some of the blame.

He said: “I don’t pretend that the prison crisis happened overnight.

“My party did not build enough prisons. No government in recent decades has. We’re now under new leadership. But Labour are making this problem so much worse. The only people benefiting from this Labour Government are illegal migrants and hardened criminals.”

Reform UK Deputy Leader Richard Tice MP said: “Starmer doesn’t care about law and order. The only plan he has is to release thousands more criminals back on to our streets making us all less safe.”

The measure was slammed by Domestic Abuse Commissioner Dame Nicole Jacobs.

LIVES AT RISK

She said lives were being put in danger by the proposed change.

Dame Nicole added: “You are not sent to prison for four years if you do not pose significant risk.

“Until government can confidently exempt all offenders with a known history of domestic abuse it’s critical for victims’ safety that this proposal is scrapped.”

Justice Secretary Ms Mahmood, meanwhile, is set to accept plans in David Gauke’s Sentencing Review report due next week.

It is likely to recommend that convicts are given a minimum and maximum sentence, depending on how serious their offence is.

The time they serve will depend on their rehabilitation and participation in training and education.