Bail call for minor crime suspects

People accused of crimes could be bailed rather than locked up awaiting trial, under plans to ease prison overcrowding
12 April 2012

People accused of crimes from minor assault to criminal damage could be bailed rather than locked up awaiting trial, under plans to ease prison overcrowding.

The move would affect up to 40,000 defendants a year who come before magistrates and are remanded in custody before being tried for lower-level offences.

The Times said the idea was being studied by officials at the Ministry of Justice as prison numbers in England and Wales yesterday reached 85,495 - a record high for the second consecutive week.

Justice Secretary Ken Clarke is under pressure to ease overcrowding and make £2 billion of savings from his departmental budget.

But such a plan would risk angering Tories who are gathering in Birmingham for the party's annual conference next week.

Supporters will point out that most of those remanded in custody on lower-level offences are either later acquitted, given non-custodial sentences or end up having charges dropped.

Summary offences, which can only be tried by magistrates and carry a maximum jail sentence of six months, include car theft and other motoring crime, shoplifting, some minor assaults and being drunk and disorderly.

Courts usually resort to locking up people on remand in such cases if they think that there is a risk that the alleged offenders will disappear before their cases reach court.

The proposal is expected to form part of a package of measures in a Green Paper on sentencing and the rehabilitation of offenders due to be published before Christmas.

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: "We are looking at all kinds of options in the run-up to the spending review. However, no decisions will be announced before October 20."

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