Feed a thief

[Gob]

A project where food bank vouchers were given to shoplifters by police has been suspended after the police and crime commissioner intervened.

The Sunday Express reported the vouchers were given out in Stoke-on-Trent to try to deter more food thefts.

Staffordshire PCC Matthew Ellis said it was "absolutely not acceptable" for it to appear criminals were being rewarded for stealing.

He said he had suspended the scheme immediately and ordered a review.

Mr Ellis said he understood seven vouchers had been given out to criminals since the start of the project in March so they could get emergency rations.

He said: "It's absolutely not acceptable that criminals should appear to be rewarded.

"It's not the case in this situation but that's what it looks like it and that's something I can't tolerate."

In April, the Trussell Trust's Stoke-on-Trent food bank said it had been forced to ration food after a drop in donations.

The food bank said it was having to prioritise families with children under the age of 16 and people over the age of 65.

Earlier this year it said it was looking for a new base because it could not cope with a big rise in demand.

Mr Ellis said the principle of giving vouchers to people so desperate for food they were driven to steal was "worth looking at".

However, he added: "It needs to be done by outside agencies who are there to deal with that sort of thing."

[Sue U]

Staffordshire PCC Matthew Ellis Inspector Javert said it was "absolutely not acceptable" for it to appear criminals were being rewarded for stealing.

FTFY.

[oldr_n_wsr]

In April, the Trussell Trust's Stoke-on-Trent food bank said it had been forced to ration food after a drop in donations.

Why don't they give the food vouchers to the food bank to get more food?
My guess is that even if the food bank had enough to give out, the shoplifting rate would not change much.

[Gob]

Thieves and fraudsters should not be jailed, a legal expert has said.

In a pamphlet released by the Howard League for Penal Reform, Prof Andrew Ashworth said jail should be reserved for offenders who commit crimes of a violent, sexual or threatening nature.

Fines and community sentences would be more effective for others and reduce the prison population in England and Wales by almost 6,000, he said.

But the government said it had "no intention" of changing the law.

Prof Ashworth, the Vinerian Professor of English Law at Oxford University, who advised the judiciary on sentencing between 1999 and 2010, said prison should still be considered in cases of robbery, blackmail and burglary.

But for "pure property offences", including theft, handling of stolen goods, criminal damage and fraud, imprisonment was disproportionate, he said.

"We should be reserving our most severe form of punishment for our most serious types of offending.

"Should someone be sent to prison and deprived of their liberty for an offence that involves no violence, no threats and no sexual assault?" he said.

"Instead, the priority should be to deal with such offences in the community, giving precedence to compensation or reparation for the victim and, where the offence is sufficiently serious, imposing a community sentence."

He also argued against imprisoning repeat, non-violent offenders.

He pointed to those convicted of begging and prostitution, who cannot be jailed no matter how many times they reoffend.

BBC legal affairs correspondent Clive Colman said 20,000 people a year go to prison for theft or handling stolen goods - more than for any other crime.

Making those who commit such crimes compensate victims or serve community sentences instead, would reduce the prison population by nearly 6,000, saving approximately £230m each year, our correspondent added.

The Howard League plans to distribute the pamphlet, entitled "What if imprisonment were abolished for property offences?" to every magistrates' court in England and Wales in an attempt to spark a debate on sentencing issues.

Frances Crook, Howard League's chief executive, said: "When it comes to crimes like theft and fraud, victims are losing out from a justice system that too often prioritises putting the perpetrator behind bars rather than returning people's stolen property and providing much needed compensation."

The charity said more people were sent to prison for theft or handling stolen goods than for any other crime. According to Ministry of Justice figures, 19,293 people were sentenced to immediate custody for theft and handling stolen goods in England and Wales in 2012.

Ms Crook added: "At a time when all areas of public finance are stretched, threatening schools, hospitals and the police, it's time for our politicians to make some tough decisions on exactly who should be sent to prison."

But a spokesman for Victim Support said the type of crime was not a reliable indicator of how much impact an offence had had on a victim.

"It would be hard for community sentences to retain public confidence if offenders knew they could keep committing certain types of crime and never be jailed," he said.

"It is essential when passing sentence that judges and magistrates can take into account the full facts of the case - including the impact on the victim - not just the nature of the offence."

And Justice Minister Damian Green said: "People who commit these crimes devastate lives and cause untold misery in our communities.

"This government has no intention of changing the law to prevent judges sending them to prison. It is right they have the full range of sentencing options available to them."

[oldr_n_wsr]

"When it comes to crimes like theft and fraud, victims are losing out from a justice system that too often prioritises putting the perpetrator behind bars rather than returning people's stolen property and providing much needed compensation."

So the guy is caught stealing someones stuff. Just why is he doing that? becuase he likes to? I doubt it. He is doing it because he hs no money and this is how he's going to make some money. So exactly how is he going to compensate the victim not having the funds to do that? Steal some more. Sounds like a ponzi scheme.

Meanwhile the judges over there give a slap on the wrist to molestors.

[MajGenl.Meade]

Well if I get ripped off in England I'll take my compensation in luncheon vouchers at the very least... sorry - food coupons

[rubato]

Those little homilies always sound so simple but you can never keep them straight;

Is it "feed a thief starve a vandal" or is it "feed a vandal starve a thief"?

I can never remember that one.

yrs,
rubato

[MajGenl.Meade]

I think I saw one of the new beneficiaries of the scheme in St Leonard's a few weeks back - he was at a traffic light holding a sign "Will Steal for Food"


eta "he"