New Clause 4
Offender Management Bill
12:00 pm
James Brokenshire (Shadow Minister (Homeland Security), Home Affairs; Hornchurch, Conservative)
The point I made has been taken up by the Council of Circuit Judges. Minor offending is the breeding ground—the council’s words—for more serious offending. As my hon. and learned Friend will agree, we need to be very careful not to create a system that inures offenders to the criminal justice system, such that when they arrive in prison or in custody or they are given more serious sentences, it is much harder to reform and rehabilitate them and therefore to stop them reoffending, especially if that reoffending is of a more serious nature.