When issuing sentences, some magistrates consider the strict isolation measures established in prisons by covid-19.
British judges tend to give shorter sentences to criminals, including those convicted of sexual and violent crimes, to make up for the especially harsh conditions the pandemic has caused in the country's prisons, The Times reports.
This leniency would have begun to be applied since last April after the trial against a man guilty of sexually abusing a school student.
At that time, the court ruled that measures against the spread of the coronavirus within prison facilities, including extended periods of isolation for inmates, could be considered when sentencing.
In July, another sex offender arrested while trying to make an appointment with a minor received 20 months in jail for the same reason, the British newspaper details.
Similarly, this kind of condescension favored two criminals who in September broke into a home with their faces covered and terrorized a family. Both received reduced sentences, since the judge took into account that the convicts must remain 23 hours a day confined in their cells due to the rules against covid-19.
In June this year, the Council that establishes the guidelines for judges published a statement in which it highlighted “the concerns that many people have about the effects that the COVID-19 emergency produces on conditions in prisons and the potential impact hardest of custodial sentences on criminals and their families “.
This reasoning sparked controversy in British society and was the target of criticism from some politicians, including legislator Tim Loughton, who ironically described these sentence reductions as “special summer discounts” and “COVID bonus for inmates”.
The Times, Rt
