How long should rapists be jailed?
The Conservatives are to review rape sentencing in the light of falling conviction rates and shortening sentences.
Conservative Leader David Cameron points to statistics showing Britain’s rape conviction rate is the lowest of any leading European country, at less than 6 percent of reported cases, down from nearly a third 30 years ago.
Even when there are convictions, sentences have been falling, down to an average of just under seven years.
Cameron says the length of sentence must be “proportionate to the crime”.
But how long should that be? Send us your comments.
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4 comments so far
Mandatory 15 years - Life for the worst cases.
- Posted by Eric GambleRecidivists: Shoot em (Bring back capital punishment)
I agree that rapists should be locked up that is to say people who lay in wait for strangers and rape them however, society today has moved to a new era where girls dress like they are half undressed drink harder than the guys, have more mouth than the guys and then complain the next morning when they come down off an ecstacy pill coz they have had five men in a night. Women really are responsible for their own destinys in most cases and if they act like tramps ………
- Posted by GARY NEALEThe first thing to say, of course, is that if even one person gets away either with rape on the one hand or with a false allegation on the other, then that is too many.
For the first time today, I heard (on Channel 4 News), the complementary statistic to that 6% - 8% of cases are dropped when if becomes clear to the police that they are false. That means that, of the cases for which there is convincing evidence either way, rather more than half turn out to be false.
Without a compelling reason to suppose that the 86% of cases for which there is insufficient evidence are not split in the same proportion, it seems to me that we have a serious problem on BOTH sides of the rape issue. Both must be addressed, not just the one which gets the most favourable headlines.
- Posted by Ian KemmishThere’s no justice for women in a man’s world yet most men would like to see rapists brought to book and punished. Politicians and Lords of the Justices are really weird.
- Posted by William Fowler