Report to the People
3rd October 2005
Bailed
Out
Filed
in my office under Y, for “You Couldn’t Make it Up”, are examples of when
bureaucracy beggars belief. And
near the top of the pile are cases featuring the bail system.
I
know a number of my constituents who were effectively put under house arrest
after the well-known thugs who attacked them were freed on bail to roam the
streets, wreak havoc and intimidate witnesses.
Surely
this must be the wrong way round. Isn’t
it the criminal, rather than the victim, who is supposed to be deprived of their
liberty?
This problem, of course,
isn’t just confined to Greenock. Across
the country, MSPs have been as outraged as me about abuse of the bail system.
Last
week, therefore, Justice Minister Cathy Jamieson set out plans to tighten up the
rules. For the first time, judges
will be made to take similar previous convictions into account when deciding
whether to bail someone accused of drug dealing, a serious violent offence, or a
sexual offence.
Other
moves on the cards include allowing non-jury courts to hand down tougher
sentences for those who breach bail conditions. And extra sentences for anyone out on bail who doesn’t
appear in court will be served after the sentence for the original offence - not
at the same time.
If criminals want to treat the legal system as a game, then they shouldn’t hold all the cards. It should be victims and the wider community who have the odds stacked in their favour.
Back to Current Reports to the People
[ HOME ] [ News ] [ Report to the People ] [ Interact ] [ Links ] [ E-Mail ]
[ Copyright ] [ Directgov ] [ Scottish Parliament ]