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Prisoners who refuse to show up for their convictions will not only have two more years added to their sentences, but could face a loss of privileges, including visiting hours.
This includes cell confinement for up to three weeks, as the Ministry of Justice has granted the two extra years that have been imposed after some murderers have been rejected by the judge and the families of the victims.
This includes Thomas Cashman, the killer of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt Korbel, and Kyle Clifford, who murdered the wife and two daughters of BBC commentator John Hunt.
But officers warn this is a “waste of time” and will not happen in practice, as prisoners are subject to weekly assessments and rewarded for good behaviour.
A former prison worker at HMP Frankland told Metro: “Prisons don’t want to keep people on the so-called ‘basic privileges’ system because it just doesn’t look good. Every week, prisoners who are on it get a weekly review and if they’ve behaved well, they’re removed from it.’
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If the prisoners do not move out of the system due to the new rules, it also risks causing more behavioral problems.
(Image: Merseyside Police/PA Wire)
“If you’re a prisoner knowing you can’t be rewarded for good behavior, you’re going to be terrible,” the former officer said.
He added: “If you’re already in trouble, you might as well be in super trouble.”
Under the Ministry of Justice’s plans, Crown Court judges can impose the following penalties:
- Loss of jail privileges for 84 days
- Cell confinement for 21 days
- Loss of social visits for 27 days
- Restrictions on social visits once every four weeks for 84 days
Prisons Minister Catherine McKinnell said: “Criminals should not be able to pick and choose when they face justice.
“Refusing to come to justice is an insult to victims and their families, and perpetrators must face the consequences.”
The Victims’ Commissioner for England and Wales, Claire Waxman, added that criminals refusing to come to their senses “compounds trauma and robs families of responsibility”.
She added: “Her determined campaign, alongside that of Olivia Pratt-Korbel’s family, has helped ensure that this damage can no longer be ignored.”
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