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I am calling on the Elected Government of the United Kingdom to change the criminal justice system in several ways. These are:

1. Tougher sentences for defendants who have been convicted of crimes. Especially violent crimes, sexual offences and crimes against children
2. To abolish the 'time off for good behaviour' resulting in many defendants only having to serve 50% of their sentence. Credit still given for early guilty pleas (if plea is agreed before the date of trial)
3. Tougher stance on arresting and prosecuting youths under the age of 18, particularly when the offence is violent such as offences against the person and sexual offences (assault, sexual assault, rape, murder, etc). Also to include offences against property (criminal damage, arson, burglary, etc)
4. The disclosure of the names and approximate areas (estate) of residence of convicted paedophiles and rapists to ensure that parents and victims and their families can safeguard themselves and loved ones
5. To give police extra powers to deal with nuisance and anti social riders of offroad motorbikes and quad bikes
6. The Government to employ extra prison staff, build more prisons or make existing prisons bigger and to give prison staff extra training and possibly more powers to deal with prisoners who can become an ever increasing threat. Also to highlight the unfair treatment of prison staff by their colleagues and superiors

Please read more below on why I have considered the 6 areas for this reform:

Defendants need to know that they will receive a punishment that befits the seriousness of their crime and in order to do that, the Government and the Judiciary need to reform outdated sentences from cases by which they are currently governed, some of which happened hundreds of years ago.

As a victim of crime, I personally experienced the heartache of watching a serious offense being met with a lenient sentence. This is a grave injustice not just for myself, but for all victims of crime. The current state of our criminal justice system allows for lenient sentences even for very serious crimes. This lack of severity creates a vicious cycle where criminals do not face rightful repercussions, and victims are left feeling unheard and invalidated.

Studies show that stronger sentencing can serve as a deterrent for criminal behavior (Source: National Institute of Justice). Yet, we continually witness the criminal justice system delivering soft sentences disproportionately to the severity of crimes committed. This is not only unjust, but it also undermines the principles our society stands on: fairness, justice, and the rule of law.

We need to ensure that our system is balanced, where punishment fits the crime. We must raise our voices to demand change in the sentencing protocols of our justice system. To uphold respect for law and order, and to give victims the justice they so rightly deserve, implementing stricter sentencing should be an absolute necessity.

Recent examples of lenient sentences that I have seen in my area are: Paedophiles receiving suspended sentences, rapists receiving a mere couple of years behind bars and those carrying knives simply receiving fines and ordered to surrender their weapon. Just as an example, carrying a knife should warrant an immediate 5 year prison sentence, increasing to 10 years if the assailant has actually used the knife against a person

Stand with me in requesting our legislators to recognize and act upon this issue. Please sign this petition to support necessary changes in our criminal justice system.

The government also need to scrap the 'time off for good behaviour' when handing down sentences in the courts. This results in many defendants only having to serve 50% of their sentence, which gives no incentive for the convicted person to change their ways and again, leaves victims feeling angry, upset and invalidated by our criminal justice system.

If the defendants being sentenced were capable of good behaviour, they wouldn't be in court or in prison in the first place. Defendants should be made to serve their full sentences before being eligible for release back into society. That being said, I believe that credit should still be given for early guilty pleas, if the defendant pleads guilty before the day of the trial. The amount of credit given should be determined by how early the defendant pleads guilty.

A very controversial subject in today's society is whether we should hold youths accountable for their crimes. The criminal age of responsibility in the UK is 10 years old. Meaning that from the age of 10, children are deemed to be old enough to know right from wrong. However, the police and the criminal justice system still refuse to arrest or prosecute youths for even serious offences.

My daughter was sexually assaulted at the age of 14 by another teenager and the police officer in charge of the case told me to my face that 'they're not looking to prosecute because they don't want to criminalise children'. I was left feeling very angry at that statement and wondering whether they would be saying the same if my daughter had been raped or murdered.

I believe that children should be held to account, particularly for serious crimes such as offences against the person (including sexual offences). The offence only shows up on DBS checks after they turn 18 if they were sent to prison or given a suspended sentence, otherwise the conviction is considered 'spent' if it has been on their record for 5.5 years and may not even show up at all if the offence isn't on the 'safeguarding list'.

If an employer needs to perform a DBS check to hire somebody, it is generally down to their discretion if they take into account a spent conviction, if it is relevant to the role that the person has applied for

This time is reduced even further in relation to Cautions which only stay on the persons record for 2 years. However, some convictions, such as sexual offences will always appear on a person's criminal record, and there are a vast catalogue of other offences that will appear ranging from child abduction to terrorism.

The next area for reform is to ensure that the police reveal to local residents of a specific neighbourhood that they have a person convicted of a serious offences against children or sexual offences living in their area (convicted paedophiles, convicted rapists, etc). This is to ensure that victims, families and their loved ones, and local residents can all protect themselves and their families and friends from people who commit the most serious offences. I am not calling for disclosure of the specific address of these convicted criminals, simply the neighbourhood and town in which the person is residing. Residents have the right to know who is living in their neighbourhood, especially if they are convicted of the offences above.

The next area for reform is aimed at giving the police forces across the country extra powers to deal with nuisance and anti-social riders of offroad motorbikes and quad bikes. The riders of these vehicles often travel around at high speeds, weaving in and out of traffic and pulling wheelies in high traffic and speeds. The police are powerless to stop them because the bikes and quads can go where the police cars and vans cannot

These reckless riders are well aware of this. I believe that in other parts of the country, police are allowed to make Tactical contact with these riders in order to stop them before they hurt anyone. It is time that Tactical contact is allowed for every police force in the country to swiftly stop the riders and make them face the full extent of the law

These riders almost always have no insurance, no road tax and often no license, so if they crashed into somebody on the road and injured them, the full cost is on the victims.

The final area for reform aims to help prison staff feel more protected and more valued in their work environment. The prison system needs to be overhauled, starting with employing more prison staff to deal with the ever increasing population of inmates. One person has come to me and stated that sometimes prison staff are left to deal with the work of 4 members of staff due to under funding and under staffing. The staffing issue is also partly down to the fact that prison staff do not feel safe or protected enough in their work environment

Bringing us on to the second point, prison staff should be given increased powers to deal with problem inmates, especially if those inmates pose an immediate or increasing threat to the staff safety. Which is why staff should also be offered extra training in up to date conflict resolution techniques and self defense and restraint techniques. Prison staff should also feel like they can come forward and report unfair or unjust behaviour by their colleagues and superiors.

I apologise for the length of the description but it is necessary in order for people to fully understand the reasons behind this petition. Please stand with me and call for changes in our criminal justice system so that we can better protect and support victims of crime and their families and loved ones.