Credit where it’s due – this is (mostly) good news:

Child criminal exploitation and “cuckooing” are set to become specific criminal offences as part of new legislation being introduced to Parliament next week.

The Crime and Policing Bill will also include measures that could see restriction orders put on people thought to be at risk of exploiting children for criminal means.

Cuckooing is when the home of a vulnerable person is taken over by criminals who use it as a base for illegal activities, such as drug dealing.

Here’s an issue, though:

The cuckooing offence will carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison, while the standalone child criminal exploitation offence will carry a maximum sentence of 10 years.

I’m not saying people shouldn’t be jailed for these offences. But our prisons are full and the reason is successive governments’ insistence on being “tough on crime” with policies that actually create hardened criminals.

So my question is this:

Whose jail sentences will become community penalties so these cuckoos and child exploiters can be imprisoned?

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