Centre Stage
| Published date | 01 March 1997 |
| DOI | 10.1177/026455059704400116 |
| Date | 01 March 1997 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
POSBs would, I believe, take account
LETTERS of the pointlessness of short sentences,
and remain fully awake to the reasons for
imprisoning an offender, which, in my
experience, has been forgotten by the
judiciary, namely to punish, to prevent
re-offending and to protect the public.
Centre Stage
Name and address withheld at the
writer’s
As
request.
an ex-lawyer and also an ex-con who
has thus seen both sides of the sentencing
and prison systems, can I propose a
common sense solution to the current
Soft Control
sentencing lottery and ever-expanding
I was very pleased to read Bill
prison population. The Probation Service
~
Beaumont’s and Tara Mistry’s account of
1
should deal with sentencing by means of
their consumer study in the December
’Probation Officer Sentencing Boards’
issue, especially as there were many
(POSBs). This may sound an alarming
things therein to compare and contrast
proposition but has the following
with my own studies on behalf of Essex
advantages.
Probation Service over the past three
Firstly, it is unlikely that a member
years’. Many of the findings are
of a POSB will succumb to transient or
remarkably similar and this is
lasting personal pressures and dislikes
particularly encouraging, given the
when his motives and any apparent
differences in sample sizes and research
departure from the ’norm’ would
methods employed. However, I do think
probably be questioned by the others.
the authors could have been a mite
Secondly, it is probation officers who
sharper in their discussion around the key
have all the relevant background
purpose(s) of probation work. Their own
information on the offender, including
findings seem to suggest an overarching
personal circumstances and those
purpose of ’soft control’, rather than
surrounding the commission of the
...
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