End automatic early release for 'short' sentences - brings the whole system into disrepute.

The current system of automatically releasing prisoners serving less than four years after serving just half their sentence needs to end. It’s a policy born of a misguided attempt to manage prison overcrowding, not justice. Margaret and I were discussing it only yesterday; it feels like a slap in the face to victims and sends entirely the wrong message to society about consequences.

This revolving door approach undermines public confidence in the justice system. When people know a sentence is effectively halved before it’s even handed down, it diminishes the gravity of the crime in the eyes of both the offender and the public. We need to restore a sense of proportionality. A sentence should mean what it says, not be subject to an arbitrary reduction that feels more like a bureaucratic quirk than a genuine judicial decision.