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Drivers who cause death by speeding, racing or using a mobile phone could face life in prison under a sentencing review to be released this week.
The changes are due to the concerns of families and activists, as well as some judges, that the maximum of 14 years does not reflect the seriousness of the crime.
Criminals who cause loss of life by reckless driving while under the influence of alcoholic beverages or drugs could also face life in prison.
The sentencing white paper, to be released by Attorney General Robert Buckland, will lower the age at which life sentences can be issued for murder from 21 to 18, as well as several measures that will ultimately increase the number of people. detained. in prison.
Buckland said: “This administration has made it clear that the punishments must fit the crime, but too often families tell us that this is not the case for killer drivers.
“We will introduce legislation early next year to introduce life sentences for dangerous drivers who kill on our roads and make sure they feel the full force of the law.
“But this is only part of our plan to fight crime and restore confidence in the justice system and I will put more measures in place this week.”
In 2019, 174 people were convicted of causing death by dangerous driving and another 19 were convicted of causing death by reckless driving under the influence of drink or drugs.
Criminal justice experts and advocates of prison reform challenged proposals to lower the age limit for life orders to 18 years.
The move comes after the August sentencing of Hashem Abedi, the brother of Manchester Arena attacker Salman Abedi, who was found guilty of murdering 22 people but was spared a life sentence due to his age. However, he was incarcerated for a minimum of 55 years in prison and will be 78 when he is eligible for parole.
The white paper includes several measures that will add to the already overcrowded prison population. These include ending the mid-way release of offenders sentenced to four to seven years in prison for serious crimes such as rape, manslaughter and intentional GBH. Instead, they will spend two-thirds of their time in custody before being subject to strict licensing conditions upon release.
Furthermore, the starting point for determining the penalties for persons between 15 and 17 years of age who commit murder will be increased from a minimum of 12 years to two-thirds of the equivalent starting point for adults. Those aged 10-14 would get starting points at half the adult equivalent, bringing this to between eight and 15 years.
Frances Crook, Howard League Executive Director for Penal Reform, said: “When Michael Gove was Secretary of State for Justice, he spoke of redemption as an inherent principle of justice, but that it is now being abandoned by the government in for the sake of a few newspaper headlines.
“The courts already have draconian powers to impose long sentences, and there is no evidence that adding a life sentence will protect a single victim.”
Amanda Pinto QC, president of the Bar Council, which represents thousands of lawyers in England and Wales, said the move “is not the answer to restoring public confidence in the judicial system.”
“If the government is truly the party of law and order, it must invest in the entire criminal justice system. Not just picking parts and ignoring others, ”he said.
“Simply investing in the beginning (number of police officers) and the end (longer sentences) of criminal justice will not solve the problem.
“We welcome investment to rehabilitate those who have committed crimes; but that and sentencing very young people to life imprisonment will not make the public trust the system. “
She said that significant cuts to the justice budget over the years caused a large backlog of cases, long before Covid-19. “As a result, witnesses, victims and defendants now have to wait years before their case reaches court. What message does that give the British public? Investment in the entire system, including the judicial process, is now essential. “
The changes will also include new powers to stop the automatic release of criminals who radicalize behind bars and pose a danger to the public. Instead, they would be referred to the parole board to consider whether it would be safe to release them before they have served their full sentence in custody.
David Lammy, the shadow attorney general, said: “Labor’s priority is keeping the public safe from dangerous criminals.
“The Conservatives’ decade of austerity, failed experiments with the privatization of probation services, cuts to the police and mismanagement of prisons have endangered the British public. Their failures have resulted in a 64% recidivism rate for those who spend less than 12 months in prison.
“We will examine this bill to make it as effective as possible, but we also ask ministers to raise their hands for their mistakes that have brought the justice system to the brink.”
