Prisoners to be liable for victim surcharge
The government has outlined plans to fine all convicted criminals, including those jailed, to raise funds to help victims. It is already owed almost £600m in unpaid fines.
The justice secretary, Kenneth Clarke, today announced plans to increase the amount paid by offenders to victims through the victim surcharge from around £10m a year to £50m. This is in addition to the £66m central government spends each year on victim and witness support services.
Currently the surcharge is paid only by people punished with a fine, at a flat rate of £15. Clarke proposes extending liability to all convicted offenders, including those who are sent to prison, and increasing the sums paid.
Under today’s announcement, offenders who are fined will pay 10% of that fine as a victim surcharge, up to £120. Offenders given a conditional discharge will pay £15 and those given a community sentence will pay £60.
Anyone given a custodial sentence will contribute £80, £100 or £120 depending on the length of sentence. The changes will be introduced in October, the Ministry of Justice said.
Enforcing payment may prove difficult: statistics for January to March, published last week by the Ministry of Justice, revealed that the government is owed £593m in unpaid fines, including sums towards the victim surcharge.
Clarke also announced plans to stop criminal injuries compensation payments to people with unspent serious convictions. Such payments have added up to £75m over the past decade. In future, compensation payments will be focused on those who have received the most serious injuries rather than sprained ankles, cuts and grazes.
Among other changes intended to improve the help given to crime victims, Clarke said the Victims Code will be revised and support services will be commissioned locally by elected police and crime commissioners.
Clarke said: ‘These changes provide victims of crime with better, more personalised support and force offenders to take more responsibility for their crimes, instead of the taxpayer bearing the brunt of funding victims’ services. With offenders currently only contributing around a sixth of the funding that supports victims’ services, the balance is clearly wrong.
'Our plans will see offenders contribute up to £50m.'
Comments
"Enforcing payment may prove difficult"
"Enforcing payment may prove difficult"
You don't say.
They've been working overtime at the Ministry of Justice haven't they!
Unpaid fines
Not surprised really. It is a similar story in so many situations because there are insufficient resources and lack of will to enforce compliance with these initiatives.
I was watching a programme about the Information Commissioner (Data Protection Office) fining companies which make cold calls and breaking all sorts of rules. A spokesman more or less admitted that some companies have made a calculated decision to continue to break the rules because it is so profitable and the chances of being fined negligible.
It is the same with fines as above and costs awards in civil cases. So many people simply know they can get away with not paying them so it undermines the whole credibility of these initiatives. A classic example was the Child Support Agency (CSA) fiasco years back.
Probably further confirmation that MOJ is unfit for its purpose.
An easy solution
Perhaps I am mising the point here; it's probably fair-to-say that most of the criminal fraternity are on state benefits. Why can't they have their benefits reduced to the extent of this surcharge ? The government therefore keps the money and distributes accordingly. If half-a-BILLION is owed, this is evidently a major problem. I don't see why it would be such a huge issue to claw back the money through lowering benefits. After all, when I got my Child Tax Credit renewal recently, I simply phoned in my earnings last year - took 5 mins - and 2 weeks later my new (much lower) 'award' for 2012-13 was notified by post. Easy. No more excuses - criminals are having it too easy.
They do deduct the money from
They do deduct the money from benefits.
But given that benefits levels are set at the minimum poverty line, the amount deducted is usually £2.50 or £5.00, per fortnight.
So let's say that a "victim surcharge" of £50 is imposed, at £2.50 per fortnight, it is going to take 1 year to pay it back. And even then, it isn't paid back is it - because as you say it is just coming from one hand of the state and going to another.
Let's be straight here and now, "victim surcharge" has got sweet f.a. to do with victims. Armed robbers in prison do not pay it. Scrotes on community service for drug dealing do not pay it.
The people who pay it - as the Government fully know - and the people that the Government intend to collect this money from, are "middle class" customers of the Criminal Justice System, i.e. speeding tickets, driving with mobile phone tickets, etc.
Whether that's right or wrong is another thing. I suspect it's wrong, but why don't they simply come out and say it instead of trotting out bollocks about prisoners paying it back.
NB Prisoners "earn" £5, or £10 per week (I think) depending upon their level of privileges and security category, and even then it's voluntary. You can't have forced labour (unfortunately). So imagine the conversation:- "Dear Mr Scumbag. Would you like to do 35 hours week work, sowing mailbags for TNT Deutsche Post, to get £5 which we will then take and give as a 'victim surcharge'? Or would you like to watch TV and play Playstation in your cell?"
Enforcing payment
This is the sort of policy that the Government love to announce. It does not appear to require any effort at all, or cost any additional money, and no opposition politicians will object.
As for collection proving difficult, I suspect the Government would have more success imposing a levy on unicorn horns.
(My colleague above has hit the nail on the head)
Enforcing payment
This will not work. It will only make the government look more ineffective by increasing the balance book showing £multi-millions owed by defendants from confiscation orders, fines and victim surcharges that there is no hope of collecting.