End of the soft prison sentence: Tories promise most dangerous criminals will serve at least two thirds of their sentence, while drunken yobs and drink-drivers will wear ‘sobriety tags’

• Ministers want to end policy of letting criminals free half way through sentences
• Move will be unveiled by Justice Secretary Robert Buckland at party conference
• And judges will be able to make offenders wear US-style sobriety tags
• They monitor alcohol levels in sweat to ensure offenders are not drinking 

Sexual predators and the most violent criminals face longer jail terms under Tory law and order plans.

Ministers want to end the policy of letting hardened offenders go free only half way through sentences. Instead they would have to serve at least two thirds of their time.

The move will be unveiled by Justice Secretary Robert Buckland tomorrow, along with radical plans to make drunken yobs and drink drivers wear electronic ‘sobriety bracelets’.

Sexual predators and the most violent criminals face longer jail terms under Tory law and order plans

The move will be unveiled by Justice Secretary Robert Buckland on Tuesday

Judges will be able to make offenders wear the US-style tags in an effort to tackle booze-fuelled crime. 

The devices can detect alcohol in sweat, meaning any offenders caught drinking again could be jailed.

The measures are a bid to tackle public concerns that sentencing is too soft, with criminals given the freedom to reoffend.

Mr Buckland said the Tories were no longer ‘content to wring our hands and say there’s nothing we can do’. 

And Home Secretary Priti Patel will use her speech at the Conservative Party conference on Tuesday to promise to stand up for law-abiding Britons.

She will warn criminals: ‘I simply say this: We are coming after you.’

In an interview with the Mail last night, Mr Buckland also:

• Ruled out scrapping prison sentences of under six months even though his predecessor said they didn’t work;

• Pledged to make it easier for members of the public to court statements made by judges;

• Vowed to toughen up soft community sentences with stringent conditions.

The proposed crackdown comes amid declining public confidence in the justice system and fears that the police have lost control of the streets

Booze-fuelled thugs to wear ‘sobriety tags’ 

Drink drivers and yobs convicted of alcohol-related violence will be tagged with ‘sobriety bracelets’ in a blitz on booze-fuelled disorder.

For the first time, all judges in England and Wales will be given the power to force offenders to wear US-style electronic ankle tags that monitor alcohol consumption.

Under measures announced by Justice Secretary Robert Buckland, the courts can order adults in trouble with the law to comply with ‘alcohol abstinence requirements’ – requiring them to avoid booze for a period of time.

Drink drivers and yobs convicted of alcohol-related violence will be tagged with ‘sobriety bracelets’

If they breach the order – currently lasting up to four months – they face fines, community punishments and could even be sent to jail. 

Ministers want to target binge drinkers who are blamed for at least half of the mayhem on Britain’s streets at weekends.

Rolling out the ‘sobriety bracelets’ follows the success of a scheme launched by Boris Johnson in July 2014 when he was Mayor of London.

It found there was a compliance rate of 92 per cent – helping cut reoffending.

Evidence from the US, where actress Lindsay Lohan is among those to have been fitted with a tag, suggest the devices reduce drink-driving and domestic abuse. 

The scheme will cost £22million over four years.

Mr Buckland said: ‘The evidence showed they had quite a marked effect on reoffending. 

I’m committed to programmes like this where we can tackle the root causes of criminality and make a difference not just to the lives of the offenders but the lives of the communities where they live.

‘A lot of these people are people who have addictions and prey on their local communities, whether it’s acquisitive crime or worse. 

‘Using technology means we can help make a difference when it comes to removing alcohol as a driver of criminality.’

The tags will be fitted to thugs guilty of such offences as common assault and criminal damage. 

Ministers will extend the maximum 120-day length of time. Alcoholics will also become eligible for tags for the first time.

The bracelets automatically sample perspiration every 30 minutes, 24 hours a day, to test for alcohol use.

The information is sent to police and probation officers and tags beep if the offender breaks the rules.

Weighing 5.8oz, the devices are supposedly impossible to remove.

Official figures released in July revealed that crime reported to the police had risen to a 15-year high of 5.9million. 

Violent offences in England and Wales rose by 20 per cent to 1.6million, the highest since the National Crime Recording Standard was introduced in April 2002.

The number of police arrests and stop and searches has plummeted – just as gang violence has surged.

In the summer, Boris Johnson promised to recruit 20,000 police officers and said offenders given 14 years or more in jail for violent or sexual offences would be expected to serve more time.

Under laws enacted by Labour in 2005, almost all offenders are released after having served only half of their sentence. 

This is not dependent on good behaviour, risk assessment or evidence of remorse.

But under Mr Buckland’s plans, serious sexual and violent offenders who are sentenced to more than four years in prison will be required to serve at least two thirds of their sentence.

The Justice Secretary said: ‘What I’m doing is about increasing public confidence in the administration of prison sentences. 

‘As far as I’m concerned the judges are doing their job. It’s now time for the Government to its job in order to protect the public more effectively.

‘Keeping the most dangerous violent and sexual offenders in prison for longer means they won’t be out on the streets with the opportunity to commit crime. 

‘We owe it to victims to make this change. Punishment and rehabilitation are not opposites. 

‘We have to do both. Conservatives believe in offering a second chance to those who are ready to change. Prisons simply cannot be giant academies of crime.’

He said his policy would ‘strike a better balance between proper punishment, public protection, and a phased return to the community’.

Around 3,000 criminals would be forced to serve longer sentences, according to the Ministry of Justice. 

Ministers acknowledge some form of early release and release on licence is still needed to ensure prisoners do not face a cliff edge.

Mr Buckland also ruled out dispensing with short sentences. 

Former justice secretary David Gauke had wanted to abolish sentences of less than six months, saying two thirds of criminals imprisoned only this long reoffended within a year. 

To change the early release rules, ministers would have to get legislation through Parliament, where they lack a majority.

In her speech today, Miss Patel, who is the daughter of Ugandan Asians, will say: ‘As we renew our place as the party of law and order in Britain, let the message go out.

‘To the British people – we hear you. To the police service – we back you. And to the criminals, I simply say this: We are coming after you.’

David Spencer, of the Centre for Crime Prevention think-tank, said changing the sentencing rules would ‘keep more criminals off the streets and prevent crimes’. 

And Home Secretary Priti Patel, pictured above with Boris Johnson at the Conservative Party conference yesterday, will use her speech at the Conservative Party conference today to promise to stand up for law-abiding Britons

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