Murder Your Husband Or Wife And Get 1/3rd Off

[Merlin the Magician]

Just seen Lord Wolfes new proposals for what he described as a major alteration to plea bargaining and I quote his words.....

"if someone kills their wife or husband phones up police to confess are full of remorse they WILL get a pro rata drop in his/hers sentence or parole would be brought about sooner and the 1/3rd reduction claimed"

Will we see an increase of dead wives and husbands?? just wonder if he got shares in the coop undertakers

WHERE IS THE DETTERENT?? BRING BACK HANGING IF ITS MURDER!!! A LIFE FOR A LIFE???
Surely that would lessen the population in prisons?

Controversial or what????

[dvds2000]

by pleading guilty an the earliest stage you already get a third taken off, a view shared here

"Someone who would get 15 years would now get 10 years," he said. "I have been involved in the criminal justice system for something close to 50 years and, throughout those 50 years, if a person gave a plea of guilty it was understood that there would be a reduction in the sentence.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/prisons/story/0,...1308830,00.html

[Ardross]

It is hardly anything new it is simply codifying how the system has always worked .

The Sentencing Council includes reps from victims groups it should be remembered . Fortunately it does not include the editors of the Sun or Daily Mail

[Tout Seul]

Still find it amazing that you can get longer for aggravated robbery ie robbery with violence

[Ardross]

No - the sentence for murder is life . Even if you are released from prison you are on licence for life thus you can be recalled to prison . The question is the tariff i.e how long you will be required to serve before you can be released .

The judiciary do not like the mandatory life sentence for murder . They think it distorts the law as juries will come back and convict for lesser offences or refuse to convict at all e.g in mercy killing cases which are still murder .

It is also murder if someone dies if you intend to cause GBH but not to kill . In the US I think this is second degree murder . There is no distinction in the UK.

I think it is quite a difficult question - murder involves the taking of life through intentional action - it is always wrong . Then again is there the same degree of culpability in a mercy killing , a beating that went way beyond what was intended and a cold blooded murder of a child by a paedophile ? I think not

It is a question that requires serious debate not silly headlines

[dvds2000]

It is very easy to get recalled while on a life licence too, that is something the papers don't pick up on (or at least they dont make into headlines).
Even moving into an area that your probation officer thinks is unsuitable can lead to the lifer spending another 5+ years behind bars, they don't have to commit another offence. So although a murderer may only spend 15 years in jail - it certainly isn't easy for them on release