I have a solution to the entirely unsatisfactory prison crisis that we face, writes the former Met detective

On November 5, 1959, Guenther Podola was hanged in Wandsworth Prison for shooting dead Detective Sergeant Raymond Purdy.

In 1966, Harry Roberts was convicted of the murder of three police officers, and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 30 years. At the age of 78, Roberts was released in 2014, and he enjoyed eleven years of freedom before dying in 2025.

In 2020, three teenagers were convicted at the Old Bailey of the manslaughter of PC Andrew Harper, who had been dragged behind a car for more than a mile, after becoming entangled in a tow rope which the teenagers had intended to use in the theft of a quad bike. The driver of that car was sentenced to 16 years' imprisonment, the two passengers both received 13 years.

A furore erupted this week when it was revealed that the two teenage passengers would be eligible for early release from prison, largely due to new Government legislation that is due to take effect in September, which will dramatically reduce the amount of time that criminals will have to spend behind bars.

In fairness, the newly appointed, silver-tongued, often T-shirt-clad, socialist Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, has announced that the new Justice Minister, Alex Norris MP, will review this situation, and so he should.

I’m sure I speak for many when I say that the only remotely satisfactory outcome would be that these verminous young men serve their whole sentences, but I won’t hold my breath.

I have a solution to the entirely unsatisfactory prison crisis that we face. Short prison sentences often result in criminals being better educated in the ways of crime, and can also mean that they leave jail better connected to criminal networks. Long jail terms often work.

A criminal who has spent many years behind bars, thereby missing numerous Christmas Days, birthdays, anniversaries and more with their loved ones, is often reluctant to return to prison. They will have had many years behind bars during which they will have confronted their offending, realised the damage and harm they have caused, and hopefully they will have learned a trade, or achieved some kind of other meaningful qualification.

I would therefore abolish all prison sentences of less than four years, but only if they were replaced with properly administered, ‘Society Sentences’. These would most definitely not be easy options. Attendance would be strictly monitored. Any breach or refusal would result in an immediate four-year prison term, no ifs, no buts, straight to jail, and no chance whatsoever of parole or early release. The sort of work that would be undertaken by those serving these punishments would be highly visible rubbish clearance, litter picking, railing painting, and other work that may be related to any skills the offender already possesses. For example, a solicitor, teacher, police officer or other literate and educated professional could be ordered to spend hundreds of hours teaching literacy, maths and other subjects and skills to prisoners.

The abolition of short jail terms would free up a considerable number of prison spaces. This would mean that paedophiles caught in possession of indecent images of children would receive sentences of at least four years, if not longer. And so would those who carry knives on the streets of our once-great nation.

Foreign nationals who would usually be punished by a Society Sentence rather than a jail term, would be immediately deported under a speedy and effective scheme. This would probably require a thorough overhaul of human rights legislation. So be it. If you abuse the hospitality of the UK by committing crime here, you will either deported, or if that crime is so serious that you must be jailed, then you will be shown the door the minute your sentence has been served. This policy would also free up a considerable number of prison cells.

All early release schemes would be abolished. What you receive is what you serve. Good behaviour would be encouraged by the granting of privileges, including education, training, books, televisions, own clothes, family overnight visits, accompanied day release, work placements and more. Any failure to comply with a properly administered prison regime in any way, would result in the loss of privileges and detention in very sparse conditions.

I’ve only presented you with the bare bones of my thinking here, and I would not be surprised if many of you have questions that you would like me to answer. I could probably fill a book with my properly fleshed-out strategy.

I also appreciate that this policy would require radical reform across the entire Criminal Justice System, but if there was the will, I have the way, and besides, my vision would result in a system that would mean that Huw Edwards would have gone to jail, and Lucy Connelly would not.

Now doesn’t that sound like a system that is fairer, and more like one that you would like to see?