Is British sentencing fair? Critics wonder why rioters and stalkers spend less time in jail than protestors and people sending stupid tweets.
Over two years in jail for hate post
Is British sentencing fair? Critics wonder why rioters and stalkers spend less time in jail than protestors and people sending stupid tweets.
On 29 July, three children were killed at a dance class. As rumours spread on social media, a childminder called Lucy Connolly began posting messages on X. She called for her 10,000 followers to "set fire" to the hotels housing asylum seekers and for "mass deportation now".
Last week, she was sentenced to 31 months in jail for stirring up racial hatred.
Many who saw the riots that followed these killings support tough sentences, but others wonder how fair the sentence is when compared with those for other crimes.
The environmental protestors who forced the closing of the M25 in November 2022 were given up to five years in jail, a sentence most people considered too harsh, especially when you consider the many, more serious crimes where offenders were never jailed.
Judges explain their reasoning before sending anyone to prison. From the outside, jail terms can be confusing, but justice is about more than public opinion.
Is British sentencing fair?
Yes! Prison overcrowding is caused by a lack of state funding, not the legal system.
No! Repeat offenders, including people who commit shocking crimes, still avoid time in prison.