Letter: Jail for paedophiles
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Sir: In your leading article "These paedophiles should stay in jail" (24 August), you say that the Government should introduce legislation to enable the behaviour of sex offenders to be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and that supervision should be based on this assessment.
This is precisely what we have done. The Crime and Disorder Act introduces Sex Offender Orders which will bring under supervision sex offenders who give cause for concern, regardless of the legislation under which they were originally sentenced. The whole purpose of the order is to prevent further offending. Severe penalties, including imprisonment, are available for those who fail to comply with their Order.
We recognise that this is an area where there are no easy answers and that we may have to do more. But the Government has made a bold start and brought about a significant shift in the way sex offenders are handled in the community and by the criminal justice system. Our priority is to protect children and vulnerable adults. The police and probation services are responding magnificently to that challenge.
ALUN MICHAEL
Minister of State
Home Office
London SW1
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments